Tempted
by smile1
Summary: Damon/Elena story.*CHAPTER 13's UP* She bit her lip again and smiled, her eyes downcast and the color in her cheeks deepening. "Stop looking at me like you've never seen a girl naked before."
1. Tempted

**Disclaimer: I don't own the television series or the books of the _Vampire Diaries_. Those rights do not belong to me in any way. All I'm doing is temporarily borrowing the characters.**

**A/N: **I haven't lost my obsession with _The Vampire Daries _yet. In fact, I have almost finished reading the fifth book and can't wait until the sixth one comes out on Tuesday, I think. Although, I have to admit, that I prefer the television show over the books, too otherwordly and fantasy-like, if that makes sense? Also, I am working on my Masters thesis, which is on the vampire, gender, and its struggle between good and evil, so I won't be able to escape the vampires for a while... nor do I want to. I hope you'll enjoy this story, which is very hastily written, I admit, but I still decided to post it due to my lack of time to write.

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****Tempted**

"_It was a feeling I can't explain, as I went against the grain."_

Elena was in the middle of a crowd of other bodies that kept her warm with a drink in her hand. As she swayed to the beat of the song, she couldn't help but ponder at the irony of the situation. It was only a few hours ago that she had been upside down in her car, and only a couple of hours ago since she had been arguing with Damon and trying to convince him to drive her back. And now she was here, in a seedy looking bar, dancing in a crowd of what were mostly men, eyeing her in a way she wasn't comfortable with.

She took another sip of her drink, choosing to ignore every single one of them. She felt uneasy, but chose not to show it, though she had no doubt that Damon knew she was just putting up a brave face, especially since she was still sore from the accident, though the alcohol was slightly numbing it and the dancing took her mind of it. And as much as she feared Damon at times, she also knew that he would protect her and even give his life for her own. She still didn't quite know why, but somewhere she figured that it must have something to do with Katherine and him still suffering from a broken heart.

She wondered if he hurt when he looked at her and if he saw Katherine when looking at her, drawn to her because of that. She tried very hard to understand, but envied Katherine more than a little for having such a strong hold on the less pure Salvatore brother, as cruel as he could be, still hung up on his ex. She downed the rest of her drink, playing with the empty cup for a few seconds before deciding that she needed some fresh air. She threw a glance in Damon's direction, too busy with a dark-haired woman at the bar to notice her contemplation and self-infliction.

Elena sighed and made her way over to where Damon was sitting. She intentionally brushed up against him just a little when leaning over the bar to ask for another beer, not particularly enjoying the taste of it, but appreciating its numbing power. She wasn't much of a drinker, too young to technically, so beer was the safe bet for her, having to admit that even now she was feeling the effects.

She gave the barkeep a flirtatious smile, looking at him through hooded eyes as he turned around and got her a beer without further questioning.

Damon observed her inconspicuously, though she always had his full attention, whether she knew it or not. He gestured towards her jacket as she reached for it. "Where are you going?"

"What do you care?" she breathed, her head down as she shrugged on her black leather jacket, matching the edge that was in her voice.

"Excuse me?" he returned with a raised eyebrow, not having witnessed the change in her behavior, so for him it was coming out of nowhere.

"Wherever the hell I want to go, Damon" she snapped, earning her a concerned look from the barkeep as he handed her the beer. "Everything okay here?"

She snorted, like that mattered and like he would be able to stop Damon from doing anything. Out all of the people, Katherine excluded, she had the most hold on him. She quickly plastered a smile on her face and nodded, shaking her hair more than was needed. "Yeah, everything's fine. Don't I look fine?" Her smile widened and the barkeep nodded in obvious agreement. "You are beautiful, alright."

Yeah, but how much in comparison to Katherine, she couldn't help but wonder, knowing full well that it was a road she shouldn't be going down. Comparing herself to other girls always resulted in her feeling worse about herself than she already did. This was even harder because the other girl, in this case, looked exactly like her and yet she was far more beautiful than she was. Bitter, that was how she felt. At least with Stefan she didn't constantly feel like second best, but then again, it shouldn't matter because she and Damon were… barely friends.

"Thank you," she said to the barkeep, genuinely meaning it since a compliment was just what she needed, but not from him. She shook her head while taking a sip from her beer, looking at Damon from over the edge of her cup.

"Let's try this again, then. Where are you going?" he repeated the question, his tone light, but a warning in his eyes, realizing that at the end of the day he had to bring Elena home safely to Stefan. He would have a hard enough time explaining the cuts and bruises to him.

"I need some fresh air. It's too crowded…" she explained while looking around the room vacantly. "Don't worry, I'll be right outside," she finished sardonically, meeting his eyes one last time before turning around and slipping through the backdoor.

And she kept her word, she didn't go anywhere, she just wanted to be by herself, the wind in her hair and all that. She sat down on the steps and drank her beer in silence. It was very unsocial of her and very unladylike; this was something Katherine would probably never have done. Good, she didn't really want to be more like her and less like herself. Ugh, peer pressure from a dead girl. She couldn't help but smile at her ridiculous train of thought. She shouldn't be caring in the first place, Stefan took her for who she was and that was all that mattered.

The door behind her opened and she rolled her eyes as she took another sip of her drink. She waited until the person had sat down next to her before turning to face them, expecting it to be Damon, but it wasn't. Instead it was some guy she didn't know, or recognized from inside, though she should; he had probably been in the crowd dancing. She kept up her carelessness, not in the mood.

"It's nice out here, huh?" he asked her and she shrugged, eyeing the horizon, but really seeing nothing of interest, not tonight. She finished her drink. "I'm going to get another." She started to get up, but the guy surprised her by reaching for her arm and stopping her. "Too good for my company, huh?"

Elena dropped her cup and looked at his hand on her arm before looking at him, the beer slowing down her understanding.

"I mean, let me buy you a beer?" he asked, but didn't remove his hand from her.

She shook her head. "No, it's okay. I think I already had one too many." She offered him half a smile and he lightly chuckled with her. "Not an avid drinker, are you?"

She shook her head again. "No. In fact, I think I should go inside and find my friend, ask him to take me home."

"I can do that, drive you home."

"Oh, well, that's really nice of you, but… I can't do that to him. I mean, I came with him after all."

The guy chuckled again. "You're a polite one." He pulled his hand back, only to place it on her lower thigh. "But I think he'll understand, from a guy's perspective." He winked at her. "So, what do you say, can I give you that ride?"

Elena shook her head fervently, thinking how ironic it was that people looked at vampires as monstrous, but failed to look at monstrosities within human beings themselves. Like right now, she was more afraid of this man sitting next to her than she had ever been of Damon. Oh yeah, Damon would be able to drain her blood and kill her, but this man would cause severe physical damage and would make and let her suffer. _She could tell from the gleam in his eyes_. She desperately wanted to get out of this situation, so she got up as quickly as she could, before the man could do anything about it and bolted back inside.

She fought against the tide of bodies and hurried over to the bar, slowing down her pace as she got closer. But Damon was no longer there, so she took a seat at the bar and settled for the barkeep. This time she asked for a bottle of water to settle her nerves. She turned to look over at the backdoor and when she turned back around on the barstool, gripping the water bottle was all she could do from letting out a scream.

"Ready to go?" Damon asked, casually leaning against the bar, hands placed in front of him.

Elena nodded, leaving the bottle of water for what it was as she got up, pulling her jacket more securely around her.

"I need to get you back before my dear brother decides to be rash," Damon loosely remarked as they made their way over to the backdoor.

Elena nodded. "Yeah, you've put him through enough for today," she said absently and pushed open the door, stopping dead in her tracks almost instantly. The guy who had bothered her before was still outside, smoking a cigarette. He caught her looking at him and grinned at her, quickly putting out his cigarette and walking over to her. Before he passed her, he leaned in just a little. "Maybe next time, when you're protector isn't around, huh?" He winked and slipped back inside.

Elena shivered in disgust and continued on to Damon's car.

"Umm, not to be nosey or anything, but would you mind telling me what that was about?" Damon inquired while going after her.

She shrugged. "Not a lot to tell, fortunately," she added softly, though he of course heard. He sped up and caught up with her.

"Hey," he said while appearing in front of her, blocking her way into the car. "What did he do?"

Elena sighed. "He didn't do anything, Damon."

"Fine, what did he try then? ….Elena, I have to remind you, I'm not a very patient person."

"You know, I can take care of myself. I did just fine before you came into my life!" she expressed her frustrations.

"And Stefan," Damon added.

"What?"

"Well, technically, I've only saved you a couple of times, a handful maybe, but Stefan, well my brother is more the savior, really, which is ironic since he is a vampire…"

Elena threw him a look that could kill. "Just take me home? You had your fun and I've had enough put on my plate for one night, okay?"

Damon nodded. "But only if you tell me about that guy."

She looked him in the eyes. "I went outside to get some air and he sat down next to me."

"And…?"

"And he offered me a ride home, got a little too close for comfort, but I managed to get back inside before—wait, where are you going?" she asked as Damon began to walk back over to the building.

"Suddenly I'm feeling very hungry!" he yelled back over his shoulder.

Elena ran after him and came to a halt in front of him, forcing him to stop as well. "Elena, move," he told her. She shook her head. "Damon, no. He was just some jerk, not even worth the effort, and I'm okay," she assured. "A little shaken, sure, but not because of him, but because of the accident. Plus, I think the beer might be getting to me… And I really should get home."

"You mean to Stefan?" It was a rhetorical question and Damon didn't wait around for the answer. Surprisingly enough, he let the situation go and began heading for his car, listening to her for once. He opened the car door for her and waited, but she didn't get into the car; instead, she slammed the door shut and faced him with arms crossed. "Why do you do that?"

"Well, I was trying to be a gentleman and prove to you that chivalry wasn't dead, but—"

"No, I mean constantly put down what I have with Stefan, and what I feel for him?"

Damon shrugged. "It's just unnatural for a vampire and a human to—"

"Unnatural." Elena snorted. "You're such a hypocrite. You fell for Katherine and she was a vampire, when you were still human!"

"That was different." Damon converted his glance and pocketed his hands in a calm and distant manner.

"No, it's not. In fact, you're still pining for her…"

"I don't pine," Damon briefly intervened.

"… and she's dead," Elena finished softly, but determined to make her point.

Damon's eyes flew over to hers and pinned her to the spot she was standing in. His hands left his pockets and mimicked the movements of his gaze as he moved himself until he was standing directly up against her, using only his body to force hers against the car.

"You couldn't possible understand," he told her through gritted teeth, his eyes gleaming dangerously and actions threatening.

She bravely tilted up her chin and didn't cower from him in any way, showing him a strength that he admired in her. "I do." She shook the hair out of her face. "Your fascination with me… It's because you see me as Katherine, isn't it? That's the only reason," she accused him, leaning towards him. "Right?" She waited for a response that didn't come. "I'm not her, Damon, and I never will be, so either you find a way to accept that, or—"

"Or what?" Damon almost snarled, pulling her head back sharply and brushing her hair away from her throat with his other hand. "I could just turn you into her if I wanted to, you know that? I could just make you into what I want." He smiled to reveal his fangs to her, to scare her, but she didn't flinch. She looked at him directly, completely open and translucent as she spoke, "Still, I wouldn't be her. I couldn't because I would hate you for taking me against my will."

Now Damon flinched ever so slightly.

"You claim to be this higher species, but you're no different from us. From that man who was harassing me earlier, so if you want my blood, then take it, but don't turn me after. Just kill me, please?"

Damon let out an animalistic growl, but released her and she fell back against the car.

"It's no fun if the victim is practically begging for it," he remarked, his back now turned to her.

"It's no fun being seen as one," she countered, cautiously taking a step in his direction. "I know you're not a fan of human/vampire relationships, but if you're not planning on killing me, then what purpose does our hanging out have, this road-trip have?"

"Who says I'm not planning on killing you later on?"

"I say so and, I don't know for what reason, but I think that that's enough for you. You can be as heartless as you want to me and treat me as just another victim, but only if I really am that to you. Am I that to you, Damon, just another victim, or… or do you see me as Katherine?"

"Careful what you wish for," Damon said in a singsong way, finally turning around and facing her again, when she was already on her way back to the car. He watched her get in and lean her chin on the knuckles of her hand, which she had rolled into a fist. Her eyes remained downcast, even as he got in the car and it pulled at something inside of him, something he didn't think he had anymore. He sighed and leaned back in his seat, who was he kidding, certainly not himself. She wasn't Katherine, she may bear some resemblance to her, but that's where the comparison came to a screeching halt. And his next victim, if she didn't want to be his vampire princess, then he wasn't going to do anything to hurt her, not really. He wouldn't stoop down to humanity's level.

"Look," he started, licking his bottom lip before continuing on, "I'm sorry about before, the head thing…" He threw a look in her direction and she threw one back. "Apology not accepted, just don't do it again," she retorted.

He nodded. "Fair enough, you're not a victim, after all." He shot her one of his most charming smiles and the ice between them melted away as she smiled back. She decreased the distance between them as she moved over to the edge of her seat, her hair falling in her face. "And Katherine?" she asked in a whisper, doe eyed as she got even closer to him, not looking at him, but at his jacket as she toyed with the zipper.

"Nothing like the dead whore," Damon answered harshly, swallowing the pain that almost cut as deep as his words, but only because it was the truth. Being faithful had never been Katherine's strong point and he wondered if Elena was more like her in that department that even she herself realized.

Her eyes instantly found his as both her hands gripped his jacket, pulling herself onto his lap with ease. "I think the beer is really getting to me and if you tell Stefan, I'll tell him that you took advantage of me in my drunken state," she breathed against his ear.

Damon, too bewildered to think and too pleased to argue—so much for his heightened vampire senses, they were too busy taking in what was happening right in front of him—simply nodded. Like he cared about his brother at a moment like this and if he only stuck to this one time… He wasn't taking advantage of her, she was the instigator and the drunken excuse would work perfectly for her when she came to her senses and regretted her actions.

He groaned as she sunk her teeth in his earlobe and groaned again when she dragged her lips up to his lips, though this time it was out of frustration, not at her but at himself. He was feeling guilty and despite feeling good at the moment, it wouldn't afterwards. With all the willpower he had in him, he pushed her off him, gently maneuvering her back onto the passenger's seat.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Elena shook her head and shot him a sober smile. "You're a better person than you think, Damon."

"You're a bad influence," he said with a brief touch to the side of her face. He started the car and Elena turned to look out the window.

_No, he didn't see her as Katherine. She meant more to him._

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**Please leave behind a review? **I'd really appreciate any comments and/or critique you might have. I write for myself, but it's always nice to know that other people are also reading my stories, and I thank you for that. :) x


	2. Second Best

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights to the book series or the television show _The Vampire Diaries_. All I am doing, is borrowing the characters and have them act out imagined scenarios.**

**A/N: **So, I decided to turn this one piece into a story. I hope that I will actually manage to complete it, since it has been a long time since I have even begun, let alone finish a story. That is why I tend to stick to one parters, but as I was working on a new Damon/Elena one piece, I realized that it would actually work really well as a continuation of this one. I hope you'll like the end result, even though it is a bit sloppy, I admit.

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**Second Best**

"_You're my Shangri-La"_

Elena roused from her sleep in a flustered state, this being the fourth night this week that had happened. She seemed incapable of wrapping her head around it, but she continued to try because there must be some irrational reasoning behind her constant dreams filled with _him_…

She raked her fingers through her locks, which were just as distressed as she was. "Perfect," she whispered to herself, kicking her covers off her. She was already plenty warm as it was, hot in fact. She placed her hands on her cheeks, feeling for herself how they burned against her skin and how damp her palms were.

She made a face as she wiped her hands on her tank top, bundling the fabric up in one hand and pulling it away from her skin as far as the fabric would stretch. "Why?" she wonder incredulously and out loud as she got up out of bed. She wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, not before she had calmed down some, because right now she was on the edge.

Elena blushed as she caught her reflection in the mirror: her hair a lovely mess, fabric sticking to her in all the desired places, and her skin carrying a more than healthy glow. She allowed a smile to spill over, touching and only enhancing her already pleasing features, unable to deny feeling good about herself in this sensual state of being.

Normally she didn't mind waking up like this, so close to—Elena bit her tongue mentally. It wasn't right, because usually it was Stefan who drove her to climb the walls, but it hadn't been him for a few nights now. It had been _him _instead. Damon.

It always started off innocently enough, some flirting from his side and followed by her putting up a fight, somewhat of a fight anyway, before things increased to a more serious degree. And she always found herself pulling him back in just when he was to pull away from her completely. And she couldn't let him pull away. After their version of foreplay, they would end up everywhere: on the bed, the floor, against the wall, on the counter, _and in the shower_.

She bowed her head as the crimson hue coloring her face deepened. She had to find a way to stop, feeling incredibly guilty for having Damon in her head instead of Stefan. It should be Stefan, although somewhere she had to admit, at least to herself, that Stefan had never ignited such a spark within.

Instantly and spontaneously making up her mind to be rash for once, she scampered to take control of the situation. Elena pulled on a pair of jeans, stepped into her cozy Ugg boots, and threw on a sweatshirt over her tank top. After grabbing her keys, she left her house for that of the Salvatore brothers. If she went to Stefan like this, all hot and bothered, she would be able to make it up to him in person, have an outlet for her frustration, which was of a sexual nature apparently.

She was looking forward to being able to get out of her clothes quickly and lose herself in Stefan, knowing somewhere that it wasn't going to be for all the right reasons, but it was the best she could come up with.

However, she was faced with the worst case scenario, or the best one depending on how she chose to look at it, when the door opened and it was Damon Salvatore standing behind it. _Not Stefan_.

His expression instantaneously shot from being bored to obviously interested as he laid eyes on his unexpected, but very welcome guest. Elena's expression also changed as she became aware of the lack of Damon's attire, the entirety of it being a pair of black sweatpants. He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more, purposely doing so, or Elena thought so anyway. He was too good looking for his own good.

"Looks like we're both a little underdressed." He nodded in her direction and Elena followed his gaze down to her sweatshirt. She suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious and self-doubtful as she fidgeted with her feet, her Ugg boots seeming an unbelievably unglamorous choice now, even though he was dressed in much less.

"I'm cold," she justified lamely. It was an obvious lie; she was anything from cold and her temperature was only raising. "Can I come in?" she asked, impatient as she already moved toward the door opening.

Damon gave her a once over, her behavior a little more restless than usual, and kicked the door open completely, though he didn't move from where he was standing. "By all means, come in." His eyes held an amused glimmer as he remained standing in the door opening while she made herself as compact as she could as she intended to pass him sideways.

Unfortunately for her, Damon sensed her uncomfortable state and took satisfaction in teasing her as he placed a hand on the door frame, the movement quick and sudden. It startled her, but not because she hadn't expected it but because there was a large part of her that found it thrilling to have him so up close and personal. Her back was against the doorframe and his hand just above her shoulder, and his body only inches away… She couldn't fight the urge as she shifted and erased the remaining distance, her chest against his. Her breathing became a little shallower and she knew he noticed the second it changed. She forced herself to look away, glancing into the house instead. "Where's Stefan?"

He leaned back, just enough to let her know that it had gotten to him, but he would never admit it to her in so many words. "Out." He dropped his hand and she entered the house.

"Out where?" She crossed her arms in front of her, like a shield, one that was meant for her and not for him.

Damon let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes for the added dramatic effect. "Feeding, if you can call it that. Forrest critters hardly qualify as food, but, hey, that's just my opinion."

Elena nodded. "You know when he'll be back?"

"A few hours?"

Elena nodded again, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her sweatshirt. "Mind if I stay here tonight? Wait for Stefan?" she added as an afterthought.

Damon shrugged, smiling widely. "The more the merrier."

"Thanks." She began making her way up the stairs, taking off her sweatshirt as she did so, unable to bear the clamminess anymore. It was restraining. A shower was what she needed, a cold one as a matter of fact. That would fix everything, get rid of this feeling. She threw Damon a backwards glance, but he was no longer at the bottom of the stairs. It was probably for the best that he had left her to herself, though she couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of disappointed.

She turned her head and swallowed her scream as she found Damon standing in front of her. She would've made a nasty fall down the stairs if he hadn't grabbed her by the hand and pulled her in to him. He stumbled backwards, maneuvering her a safe distance away from the stairs before releasing her, though it took her a few seconds before pulling her body from his. Her hands on his bare chest for balance she didn't need, but sought.

"If you're going to die, it isn't going to be because you fell down the stairs" Damon said, smiling a cocky smile that revealed his fangs for a split second.

Elena rolled her eyes, the teeth doing nothing to her, not any more, although the smile did too much to her. "You're not going to kill me, Damon, so stop pretending you will."

He tried to meet her gaze, his very much open to the truth for once, but she didn't see it. She was too busy looking anywhere else but at him. She wrung the fabric of her sweatshirt between her hands. She definitely needed that cold shower bad. "You got a shower?"

"No," Damon answered sarcastically, "you know us vampires, we like our dirt." He snorted and shook his head. "Everything okay with you, you seem a little… off."

Elena lowered her eyes to her hands, not daring to look at him. If she did, she would find something more to find charming about him and she didn't know how long she—She definitely needed a shower. "It's just been one of those… nights," she said, looking at him again, the sweatshirt pulled tightly against her abdomen. "So, the shower, you mind if I take one, here?"

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to go home and shower and then come back." He gave her a look before passing her and opening one of the doors. "Here you go, it has running water and everything," he teased with a raise of his eyebrows.

She shot him a smile. "Dirt didn't seem your thing."

"Or yours… You look clean enough," he remarked.

When she didn't retort and simply slid past him into the bathroom, he shrugged and went to get her a towel. She was in nothing but her tank top and underwear when he came back, almost as if she had done it on purpose, but he knew that couldn't be true. She would never do anything like that, maybe for his brother, but not for him.

He respectfully restrained himself from giving her a good once-over. Instead he stayed standing in the doorframe and threw her the towel. She caught it.

"Thanks, I'm all set now." She turned her back to him and began taking off her tank top. When she went to unhook her bra, she looked back at Damon over her shoulder, her hair cascading down her face in a way that was unbelievably attractive to him. "Close the door, Damon." She continued undressing, knowing he was still there, but she found herself not caring. Instead she felt wanted and confident, though she didn't know what would happen if Damon wouldn't listen to her.

But he left and closed the door. It took him more restraint than he thought he had, but he did it, he had denied his brother's girlfriend for the second time. What was going on with her? She couldn't keep tempting him like this, challenging him because _he would have to give in to her_ sooner or later.

Inside the bathroom, the water running over her body and giving the illusion of her own cocoon, Elena was trying everything she could to get Damon out of her head. The only problem was that the shower was only enhancing her feelings; it was the water pouring down on her skin and the intimacy of the small space. _She wanted him to be in here with her_.

Her breathing quickened and she leaned back against the wall, eyes closed and teeth sunk in her bottom lip. She made sure to keep her hands where she could see them because they were itching to stray downwards. The shower wasn't having the effect she had wanted it to have. He was too deeply engrained in her head to simply drown him out. She couldn't even blame what was going on with her on him. He hadn't done anything, hadn't compelled her… he felt for the necklace around her neck, she always wore it, so what she was feeling must be coming from inside herself.

Finally, she turned off the water and got out of the shower, cooled down on the outside, but the flame still flaring on the inside. She re-dressed herself in her underwear, bra, and tank top, leaving behind the jeans, Uggs, and sweatshirt for what they were: too warm. She eyed herself in the hallway mirror, modesty wasn't an issue for her, not tonight and she knew she would be pushing his buttons in all the right places, but all she had on her mind was him so she made her way downstairs, not thinking twice.

"Well, don't you look tasty," Damon commented, appearing behind her as she entered the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around. She let him come to her. "Almost good enough to eat," he went on, his breath on the nape of her neck as he purposely invaded her personal space.

"Just to eat?" she asked playfully, giving him a flirtatious look from beneath her lashes as he came around and faced her, temporarily stunned by her words.

Feeling her hands creep beneath the shirt he had thrown on snapped him out of his state. "Elena." He placed his hands on her wrists, intent on pushing her away. This couldn't be happening, her coming on to him out of her own free will. "What are you doing? You'll break my little brother's heart," he sharply pointed out, his eyes intensely landing on hers.

Something in her eyes flickered and the glimmer in them went out only to come back on a few seconds later. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she owed it to herself and to Damon, and Stefan to see whether she truly wanted this, or whether her feelings for Stefan were strong enough to hold her back. She let him push her hands from under his shirt only to place them on his chest again.

She pushed him backwards and he caught his weight against the counter, and then she pounced. She was all over him too quickly for him to muster up any restraint and prepare himself. Her mouth found his and she pushed her body against his, meshing together almost perfectly, like their bodies were made for this moment right now. Her hands disappeared under his shirt and slid up his abdomen lightening fast; only to drop back down so slow that it caused the most amazing sensation.

She smiled against his open mouth as she felt him respond, holding her around the waist gently, while having another hand entangled in her locks. He let her savor the moment as he lowered his head and began kissing her collar bone instead of her neck like she had expected him to do. _She said his name_ and he trailed kisses back up to her mouth, devouring her as he brought both hands to her waist, lifting her effortlessly. She wrapped her legs around his waist as if it was the most natural thing to do and he held on to her, telling himself that this would never happen again. She must have slipped in the shower and banged her head or something…

… but she seemed so sure of her actions, she was the instigator yet again. He stopped kissing her so he could look at her, the way she looked at this particular moment. He cracked a crooked smile as he took her in, her half naked state, her face, rosy from excitement… It was too good to be true, it had to be, and it was.

They heard the front door open. Elena's eyes widened, but she didn't have time to say anything, she couldn't. What could she possibly say? She closed her eyes in despair and felt Damon put her back down. "Damon," she tried to come up with something, but by the time she opened her eyes again, he was nowhere to be seen, but he had left behind a token… her sweatshirt.

She cowardly put it on and went to open the fridge, taking out the first kind of soda she could find, closing the door just as Stefan strolled in. "Elena, what are you doing here?"

She managed a smile. "Nice to see you too."

He came up to her and kissed her. "Everything okay?"

Elena nodded. "Yeah, I just couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come here and try and sleep with you," she said, realizing it probably hadn't sounded so cute to Damon who had appeared in the doorframe.

"And so the hunter has returned," he joked and she looked at him, trying to find a crack in his perfect face, a sign that would let her know that the intimate moment they had shared had affected him as much. But she couldn't find anything out of the ordinary, so maybe it was just what it was… a few heated kisses, passionate…

She looked away and reached for Stefan's hand, her comfort blanket even when she just made out with his brother. She gave it a squeeze. "I can go home if you want? I didn't mean to—"

"I'm glad you're here," Stefan cut her off and pulled her into him, the way Damon had not so long ago. Stefan placed a kiss on the top of her head, on top of her imaginary halo and it made her feel worse and uncomfortable. What was she doing, prancing around the house dressed in practically nothing when her boyfriend wasn't even in that house?

"You okay?" Stefan asked her again, more softly this time.

She nodded and pulled herself from him. "Just tired, the shower must've done that," she added an explanation for her half dressed condition. "Can we go up?"

Stefan nodded, faintly smiling. "Of course." He gave his brother a nod and headed for the stairs.

Elena gave Damon a look, trying to get across everything she was feeling and how sorry she was, but unsure yet if she wanted to take it back or not. She didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything as she trailed behind Stefan up the stairs, feeling _his _eyes on her all the while.

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**Please leave behind a review? **Well, I am extremely curious to hear what you thought of this chapter and of me turning this into a story? Compliments as well as critique is more than welcome. I'd like to think of myself as a writer at heart, so I am always looking to improve. Thanks for reading and for sharing in my excitement and obsession!


	3. Belonging

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the television series or the book series. All I am doing it temporarily borrowing the characters.**

**A/N: **First of all, thank you so much for the overwhelming (positive) reception of the last chapter! I appreciate it so much and take all of your words to heart. I am glad that people are finding pleasure in this story besides me, though may it be one or a hundred reviews, I will continue on with this story (at my own pace) because my obsession for this show and these characters has not faded yet and I like to write. This chapter, well, I've decided to create my own version of the plotline so some things may be different from the show, though not that drastically. Bonnie, however, does know about the whole vampire dealio.

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**Belonging**

"_I promise never no more…"_

The next morning, Elena woke up in Stefan's bed, _where she belonged_. She didn't linger between the pillows too long, knowing that last night's slip up with Damon would start screening over and over in her head, only it wasn't a scene from some movie. It was real life.

The worst thing was that it hadn't even been an accident or an action that could be accused by her slight drunken state, like the time before. She had made a conscious decision to tease reluctantly and kiss him, having been unsuccessful in denying her craving for something more tangible. She had been the initiator for the second time and this time he had given him, having put up more of a fight than she thought he would. She had finally managed to pierce through his armor, dismantling it piece by piece because she wanted him in front of her with all of his defenses down.

But he wasn't her white knight, nor would he ever be in the traditional sense, perhaps only in the way a distorted and darker version of a fairytale could offer her… Nor was she that girl in the wholesome princess dress, chaste and oblivious to how the world really worked. And she certainly didn't think she was the type of girl who made out with her boyfriend's brother when he wasn't around.

_It were her dreams… _They had tortured her for nights now and last night, Damon had been close enough to touch and reel in, using the charms she usually did not have to depend on. Not with Stefan. He cared for her deeply without any added effort on her side, and Damon… Elena remembered when he so desperately seemed to want her, trying his hand at compelling her whenever she was near.

That was then, when his affection for Katherine had been at his strongest and she was the closest thing he had to her and he was trying to spite his brother, getting what wasn't his. But he had given up the chase and now she missed it, especially since she could now feel things towards him. It was okay after having seen his more human side more than once. He had saved her many of times and he cared for her, she knew he did; otherwise, he wouldn't be so much like a white knight in his actions.

She got out of bed, Stefan nowhere in sight. Elena decided to skip the shower this morning and exchanged the tank top for one of Stefan's button up shirts, tying it in the back so it clung just a little and showed just enough skin. She put on her Uggs and made her way down the stairs, her heart heavier than usual. She was nervous to see both brothers, afraid that Damon would cease to keep her secret out of spite, and afraid that Stefan would sense something to be terribly wrong. She had to talk to both of them, sooner rather than later, especially Damon. She shook her head. Damon shouldn't be her number one priority, it should be Stefan.

She made her way to the bottom of the stairs and rounded the corner into the living room, which was where she froze, her face contorting into a delayed shriek at the sight in front of her. Elena clasped a hand over her mouth, her eyes as wide as they would go as she stumbled backwards, away from the four or five women that lay strewn across the living room. Their pale skin left a haunting impression, perhaps even more so than the bite marks she saw all over their exposed body parts.

She turned her eyes away, as she did her body and crashed right into Damon, Stefan right behind him. "Morning sunshine," were Damon's greeting words, a sharp contrast to what she had just run into.

Before he could reach for her arms to properly steady her, she was already on the move, flying into Stefan's arms. "Stefan, the living room, there are bodies—" "

Actually, technically they are bodies," Damon remarked while raising a finger, "but as for what you are implying, they aren't dead, just drained," he finished, placing his finger on his bottom lip while throwing her a glance, amusement glimmering where it shouldn't. It made Elena second guess his good side, if he truly had one, a side that would be good enough to love, or maybe she should simply take the bad with the good… She shook her head and brought her eyes up to Stefan's concerned ones. "Drained?" she asked.

"Not fully though."

Stefan shot his brother a look before taking a hold of Elena and leading her a little further from his brother and crime scene. "Elena, listen, you weren't meant to see that," he began, nodding in the direction of the living room. "They're not dead," he reassured her. "He didn't drain them completely; they'll be okay in a few hours."

Elena brought a hand to her forehead and nodded. "What about the bite marks…?"

"What can I say, I like variety," Damon said with a casual shrug. "The vampire goes for the neck, what's new about that? I like to surprise them, keep them on their feet."

Elena turned slightly to look at him. "Why? To feed because usually you—"

Damon sighed and interrupted, "Look, I don't know what the big controversy is here. Vampire. Blood." He held out both of his hands to underline the point he was making. "It's a natural process. It's not like I killed any of them."

"But you could have!"

"And? Human beings are weak and I _am_ a higher species."

"That doesn't mean you have the right to simply take their lives, Damon. And, just for the record, you are a visitor in their world."

"Then why don't more of them try to kill us?" he asked while taking a step toward her. "I'll tell you why, because the attraction we have toward human beings, they have the same one. And how could they not with me being an irresistibly handsome specimen and all. Isn't that your attraction to—"

"Damon," Elena cut him off, overwhelmed by the situation between them and his unexpected behavior of which the proof lay in the living room, although it shouldn't have come as a surprise. It was how he was, chose to be.

Damon smiled at her knowingly, before shrugging and turning back around. "I was just having some fun of my own, since you two forgot to invite me to your bedroom party. If I was more like Stefan, I'd be offended."

"Damon, enough!" Stefan raised his voice, after having his patience tested for too long. "Look, I know you're not like me and have this need for human blood—"

"Spare me the speech little brother," Damon replied, rolling his eyes as he turned to face Stefan. "I didn't kill any of them and they won't remember a thing when they leave here, so, really, where's the harm in my actions?"

"They're human beings, Damon," Stefan told him in a softer tone.

"And not your toys to play with," Elena added.

Damon nodded his head while licking his bottom lip, fighting against the urge to reveal her hypocrisy to Stefan, how she had been toying with him behind his brother's back. "I think it's time for you to go home," he directed harshly at Elena instead.

She lowered her head in what he assumed was shame or guilt of some sort and gave him a single nod. "I didn't mean to overstay my welcome."

"Elena…" Stefan began, but she silenced him with a reassuring smile. "It's okay. He's right; I came over last night without any warning and he had to put up with me when you weren't here," she carefully worded."Plus, it's later than I thought it was and I still need to meet up with Bonnie before going home."

"You sure?"

She nodded and leaned in to give him a kiss, Damon having left the room by the time the kiss ended. "Thanks for having me last night," she said to Stefan and headed for the front door, Damon holding it open for her. "Thanks for having me tonight," he said with a wink, closing the door before she could say or do anything.

~*~

With her stomach tied in knots and an unsteady mind, she met up with Bonnie at Mystic Grill. Her dark haired friend was already in place when she arrived, sipping what looked like some kind of herbal tea. Ever the witch, Elena thought kindly as she went to give her best friend a warm hug. "Thanks for meeting me, and for covering for me with Aunt Jenna," Elena added as she sat down.

"What are best friends for? Besides, now you owe me." Bonnie took a sip of her tea and gestured towards Elena's outfit. "Nice shirt. Stefan's?" Elena nodded and Bonnie let out a sigh, her eyes gazing off into space dreamily. "I wish I had what you and Stefan had… You and him are like destined to be, star crossed and all that. It's so romantic, of course we will have to exchange the vampire bit with dark, brooding, and mysterious…"

Elena couldn't help but laugh at her friend's warped romantic notions and even forgot about her problems for a few seconds, though it didn't last because it only made her think of Stefan and how devoted he was to her. She ordered a drink and pulled at her shirt, her expression torn as she looked back at Bonnie. "Bonnie," she sighed, "what's wrong with me?"

"Okay, wait, did I miss something?" Elena sighed again and dropped her head into her hands. "I did something terrible; actually I did a couple of terrible things." She lifted her head from her hands to look over at Bonnie. "If I tell you, you promise you won't be too judgmental?"

"Is my name Caroline?" Bonnie good naturedly joked. She shrugged. "Besides, when you told me you ran with vampires, I didn't judge."

"You judged a little," Elena accused.

Bonnie lifted one of her fingers. "I judged your relationship with Damon, never the one you had with Stefan." Elena shifted her eyes away guiltily and Bonnie caught on, her eyes narrowing as she leaned in closer to her best friend. "Elena, what's going on? Tell me."

Elena folded her hands together on the table. "Well… remember the spontaneous road trip Damon took me on?"

"You mean when he kidnapped you after you had just been in a dangerous car crash caused by we still don't know who?" Bonnie nodded. "I have a vague recollection. What about it?"

"I went voluntarily," Elena quickly added in defense of Damon, something to which Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "The thing is, I was all over the place emotionally and I had some beers, and, I kind of kissed Damon."

Bonnie's mouth opened in a silent gasp, her eyes even wider. "Elena. Did he compel you?"

Elena shook her head, automatically reaching for her necklace. "No, and I can't say for a hundred percent that it was the alcohol either. It was me, Bonnie. I had this sudden urge to kiss him, so I did. And before you say that it came out of nowhere; it didn't." She nervously pulled a hand through her hair. "I've been dreaming about him, for a few nights in a row now. Again, last night…"

"Wait, so you didn't go to see Stefan last night?"

Elena nodded, shook her head, and then nodded again. "I went for Stefan, but he wasn't there, so—"

"So you spent the night with Damon instead?!"

Elena began shaking her head again. "Not like that, not exactly anyway. I decided to stay and wait for Stefan, but then I did something terrible again." She paused briefly, squeezing her hands together again. "I went to take a shower to, you know, cool down." Bonnie's eyes widened even further. "And after I basically paraded around half naked in front of him and didn't get the attention I sought, I kissed him again, rather aggressively as well," Elena rambled on and let her head drop between her hands again. "What's wrong with me, Bonnie?"

"You're torn," Bonnie stated the obvious simply. "A part of you is in love with Stefan, but the other is attracted to… Damon."

Elena nodded. "I know, but it's Damon and he's not like Stefan."

"Maybe that's why you like him?"

"Bonnie, he's evil."

"Not completely though, is he," Bonnie pointed out. "I mean, you're still alive."

Elena shot her a look and Bonnie smiled. "Matters of the heart are the most complicated and absurd there are. Your heart doesn't need a reason, it'll keep beating nonetheless. How's that for being judgmental," Bonnie finished.

"I'm very proud of you, even though I still don't know what to do. I mean, is my sudden obsession with Damon just a whim?"

"Time will tell."

"I was kind of hoping for something witchier, like you reading my palm or casting an un-love spell."

"Oh, no." Bonnie shook her head. "I'm not meddling with that. In fact, I don't want to meddle with that. It's Damon."

"I know and that makes me appreciate your support even more. Thanks Bon and thanks for covering for me last night." She looked at her watch. "I should get home."

Bonnie nodded. "I'll leave with you." She finished her tea and the two girls left the Mystic Grill, now carrying the same secret.

~*~

Elena had to park her car across from her house because there was another car in the usual spot. She made a face as she got out of the car, hating the break in one of her last remaining daily routines. Normalcy only returned to her reality through these routines. The man that had previously been leaning against his car came up to her as she approached the house. She forced a smile on her face as she greeted him.

"Excuse me," he said. "My car broke down and I can't seem to figure out what's wrong with it. I'm not really a mechanic," he lightly joked. "This hasn't been my day and the battery of my cell phone is dead, so would you mind if I used your phone?" He had followed her up to the front door now.

Elena simply nodded, knowing how important the kindness of strangers really was. Stefan and Damon were that to her once. She nodded again. "Yeah, sure. Let me just run in and get my cell phone." She unlocked the door and headed inside, dropping her bag on a table to look for her phone. She found it and walked back over to the door opening to hand it to him. "Here it is."

He hesitated to take it and finally pulled his hand back completely. "Actually, would you mind if I just used your regular phone? Calling from a cell phone is expensive and I don't want to be any more of an inconvenience."

"Oh, don't worry. It's fine. More than fine even," Elena insisted and handed him the phone once more, but he didn't take it. Instead he looked her straight in the eyes, causing her to feel extreme discomfort. "You don't understand, I really need to come in. I was trying to be nice about it, paying you a courtesy, but I should've known we are way beyond that. Aren't we Katherine?"

A jolt of electricity going up her spine, made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and her entire body tensed up, taking a more defensive stance, though she tried to feign recognition of any kind. "I'm sorry. I think you've got the wrong person. I'm not Katherine."

"Elena," he said her name, surprising her. "Whatever name you may have taken on to suit your new disguise, it doesn't matter."

"I think you should leave," Elena told him, intending on shutting the door on him, but something stopped her from doing so. She found herself unable to move. She desperately wanted to, but couldn't. Instead, it was as if an incredible magnet force was drawing her. She instantly recognized what he was doing to her, but she didn't understand how this could be happening, since she was wearing the necklace. She touched it and the man clicked his tongue a few times while shaking his head. "A little vervain might stop most vampires, the younger and weaker ones, but I am their senior by a few hundred years so I have learned to acquire a taste for it. Now, I think you should invite me in, like the good hostess you are."

Elena shook her head, even though it took her so much energy to control her own free will that it scared her. She opened her mouth, but instead of inviting him in like he wanted her to, she yelled for Jeremy, who for once actually listened and responded to her. She heard him come down the stairs and she looked over her shoulder, relieved to see him, although when she turned back around the man was already on his way back to his car.

"What's up?" Jeremy asked his sister. And she shook her head. "I'm not sure, but see that guy over there, whatever you do, don't let him into the house."

"I wasn't going to. I can't believe you even spoke to him."

"Why?"

"In the last hour, he's driven by our house at least four times."

"He told me his car broke down."

"How gullible of you ," Jeremy commented before leaving the room.

Elena closed the door and dialed Stefan's number.

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**Please review please? **Comments, questions, and critique are all very welcome and very much appreciated. I hope I'm not making too much of a mess of this story, so please continue reading and reviewing, and hang in there until my next update.


	4. Social Calls

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**Disclaimer: I cannot take any credit for the creation of _The Vampire Diaries _books or television show. I am merely borrowing the characters and having my way with them.**

**A/N: **I took a little longer updating this time, but I pre-warned you that due to my classes, MA thesis, and personal ongoings that could happen. However, I am still very much enthusiastic about my story and I hope I'll be able to take you along for the ride as well. Thanks again for the reviews and please let me know what you think after having read this? And, yes, I take my own liberties with the vampire myth, but all the changes I make are on purpose.**

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******S****ocial Calls**

"_What I'm about to say may surprise you…"_

"Stefan's phone," Damon said, eyeing the room for a glimpse of his brother. Taking other people's calls really wasn't his thing; he was only in a social mood when there was something to gain.

"Damon?" Elena's voice came through loud and clear and he couldn't help but smile to himself. How fortunate was it that he had been here to answer her call. "Miss Elena," he returned rather cordially, his tone cool and unattached. "I believe we have something to discuss, don't we?"

He heard her fumble with her words, not having expected his straightforward approach. His smile widened. How he liked to make her squirm and decompose her rational state of mind whenever he could. "Actually," she started another sentence meekly, "can we put that off until later, much later preferably…" she trailed off.

"Ah, is this the part where you're going to tell me that it all was a mistake and it meant nothing, brush me off Elena style?" he added purposely.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She sighed and he could imagine her shaking her head in frustration, one hand clawed in her hair. "Damon, I don't have time for this right now. Something happened. A man… there was a man waiting outside my house when I got back. He told me his car broke down, but Jeremy saw him driving past the house a few times before that—"

"You sure it wasn't Stefan? You know how he likes to lurk outside of your house." He removed the phone a few inches from his ear and turned his head slightly. "Stefan! Have you been lurking outside of Elena's house again?!"

Elena tapped her foot impatiently as she listened to the background noises; hearing Stefan enter the room, argue briefly with Damon before taking the phone from him. "Elena, sorry about that. What happened?"

"There was a man outside of my house when I got back," she repeated. "He told me his car had broken down and he wanted to use my phone. I went to get one, but he kept insisting on coming in—"

"He didn't though, did he?"

"That's the thing, Stefan, he couldn't. Stefan, he was a vampire and he was out during the day, like you and Damon, and he tried to get in, compelled me and it almost worked, despite my necklace!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but what about Jenna and Jeremy? They don't have the advantage of knowing when someone's a vampire or not."

"Are they still wearing the vervain filled jewelry I gave you?"

"Yeah, but I don't think it'll matter. The man, vampire, he told me that it didn't matter. That he had acquired a taste for it. What if I can't fight it next time and let him into the house?"

"You won't," Stefan reassured her. "We'll bring more vervain and we'll figure out a plan so one of us will always be there."

"Sounds like a good old fashioned hunting party," Damon said in the background while clasping his hands together.

"We'll be right over," Stefan promised her before hanging up.

Elena went upstairs, changing into a fresh, but worn and faded pair of jeans and exchanging Stefan's button up shirt for a warm orange tunic. She left her feet bare and locks unruly as she headed back down, just on time to open the door for the Salvatore brothers, but it was only Stefan who entered. Damon remained standing at the end of the driveway, his back turned to them.

"Hey," she greeted, trying to join in Stefan's affection as he reached for her, pulling her into a hug that should have made het forget about the world outside of the two of them. But all she could do was pretend as their bodies met, his lips on her hair while her eyes were on Damon. The guilt, it bore down on her shoulders so heavily that for a second or two the confession was on the tip of her tongue, but she managed to swallow it. What he didn't know, wouldn't hurt him, especially if it didn't happen again. He was good for her and good to her. She pressed herself against him, _seeking out something, everything_, but didn't find it.

"I'm glad you're okay," he told her and hugged her even closer before letting go.

"I'm glad you're here. What's he doing?" she asked, referring to Damon. "He can come in."

"It's nice to actually be welcome for once," Damon returned, having appeared behind Stefan. "It's nice to be needed." He winked at her and entered the house. She closed the door. "And for your information, I was trying to sense your intruder." He turned to face her and his brother, having to admit to himself that seeing them together was getting to him more and more. "Unfortunately, he appears to be long gone by now. I can't track him," he confessed, wrinkling his nose and pocketing his hands, visibly annoyed by this fact.

"He's still in town though," Stefan cautioned. "Is anyone home?"

Elena nodded. "Jeremy is, and Jenna will be soon."

"Right, then let's get down to business, shall we. What happened?" Damon inquired.

"I already told you," she returned slightly irritated. "I came home, there was this guy parked in front of the house. He told me his car broke down and wanted to use my phone. I went inside to get my phone and he waited by the door, but he didn't want my cell phone." She ran a restless hand through her hair. "He insisted on using the regular phone and wanted to be invited in, and I told him to go… He called me Katherine, thought I was her—"

"Well, that's new," Damon sarcastically intersected."

"Go on, Elena," Stefan urged, his eyes never leaving her.

"Uhm, I said that he was mistaken, but he said it was an act, a disguise. I wanted to close the door, but couldn't… My body wouldn't listen to me. The vervain doesn't affect him." Both hands flew to her necklace. "Why didn't it work? It should."

Damon sighed. "Looks like we got us an elder."

"What?"

"They're the oldest vampires."

"We know of anyway," Damon couldn't help himself.

"Every culture has their ancestors. The only difference is that ours are still alive. They've been around for thousands of years and have mastered certain things that we haven't."

"Yet," Damon clarified. "Cocky bastards, thinking they own the world just because they've escaped death a few million times."

Stefan continued to explain, "There aren't many left. Even vampires have an expiration date. We tend not to live forever after all. Most of us."

"Well, he knew Katherine so it can't be that hard finding him."

Stefan and Damon exchanged a look and the older Salvatore brother cleared his throat. "Actually, I'm going to have to object to that. Katherine had many suitors, when she was alive and dead, and she liked her secrets."

Elena lowered herself onto the couch.

"But, hey, at least you didn't invite him in."

"Elena," Stefan crouched down in front of her, "You and your loved ones will be safe. We won't let anything happen." He touched her knee and Elena tried to smile, looking from him to Damon, who gave her a nod in agreement.

She held his gaze for a little longer, trying her hardest to look into his soul, if he still had one, and see which side of him was the most honest one. The most true. Why did he have to be two people and suppress one of them? _And why did she have to be caught in the middle?_ She shifted her attention back to Stefan and briefly clasped his hand tightly within her own. "What about you? I want you to be safe. Both of you. He's stronger than you and Damon, and I don't want you to risk your lives for mine."

Damon rolled his eyes. "No need to get dramatic. We have had some practice. And we have an unfair advantage." He touched his hands together at the fingertips menacingly. "It's two against one. Now, if Stefan would only switch to a less furry diet…"

"Damon, we can't just go after him. We don't know what he wanted. Plus, he's an elder."

"So?"

"So, it would be disrespectful to kill him without at least attempting to talk to him first. We owe—"

"We don't owe anyone anything." Damon took a step towards them. "And f we do have an emotional alliance of any kind, it's to your girlfriend," he said, pointedly ending by leveling his gaze with Elena's.

Stefan nodded. "Of course, but until we know more, I propose we don't do anything too rash, or without discussing it first."

"Awesome, group discussions."

"Damon, please," Elena interjected."I just want everyone to be safe."

Stefan nodded. "Agreed. First, we should find out who he was. Did he give you a name, do you remember what he looked like?"

She remained silent for a few seconds as she tried to remember, but came up blank and bewildered. "I… I can't remember. I don't… Why don't I remember? I… He was right in front of me!" she was at the verge of panicking.

"The compulsion." Damon sat down on the sofa's arm and she automatically leaned in to him, sides touching reassuringly. "We have nothing."

Stefan shook his head. "I'll do some research." He got up from his crouching position, letting go of Elena's hand. "Could you stay here and—"

"Wait." She got up as well. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the house."

"But we don't know anything about him, how are you… I mean, where are you going to start?"

All of a sudden, Stefan looked uncomfortable, almost guilty of something…

"Stefan?"

Damon eyes intensely focused on his brother. "He's going home to look through Katherine's journals. He mistook you for Katherine, therefore, he must have known her during sometime, and therefore Katherine must've written about him. She wrote about everyone she met, us included," Damon explained, gesturing toward his brother and himself. "There's some juicy stuff in there."

Elena ignored his comment and looked to Stefan for more. "You never told me you have her diaries." She knew she was blowing it out of proportion and that she was being unfair, but she still felt the sting of betrayal.

"Just the ones she kept while in our company."

"Still, you should've told me."

"It's personal, tangible memories, a way of…" he trailed off.

"Of having her with you," Elena finished for him. He didn't say so, but she knew she was right. She crossed and uncrossed her arms again, bringing both hands up to her face instead, tucking strands of hair behind her ears. "Look, I get it. She was important to you, to both of you. Just…" She crossed her arms again, stopping herself, not wanting to talk about it in the presence of both brothers.

But Stefan understood where she was going and pulled her back to him gently, his lips brushing her ear as he confided softly, "It's not like that, Elena, I promise you. I don't love her anymore. It's you. The diaries are just a keepsake."

Elena stepped out of the little protective cocoon he was trying to suck her into. There was no point, not when Damon could hear every single word exchanged between them nonetheless. She knew she was being incredibly childish, but she was hurt at the lie he had fed her, so small compared to her own. Still, she couldn't let it go. "Damon, doesn't need a keepsake, and he's obsessed with her."

"Hey, I resent that!" Damon exclaimed, placing a hand on his heart, though his smile stayed in place. "Besides, I don't need a keepsake, I have you."

"I'm not Katherine!" she expressed, frustrated. "I didn't ask to look like her, and I didn't ask to be stalked by her past suitors, any of them!"

"Hey," Stefan spoke calmly to her. "Hey, don't you think we know that? You're nothing like her. Your heart's too kind." He placed his hand on the side of her face. "You care about other people, give them more chances than they may deserve and that makes you who you are. I wouldn't change that for anything. I didn't mean to lie to you, but I swear the diaries mean far less to me than you do. And if you want me to get rid of them, I will."

Elena placed her hand on top of the one he still had on the side of her face. She brought it to her lips and kissed the palm. "Of course, I don't want you to get rid of them. She was too important to you and Damon, and I respect that. I love you for that," she said and meant it. She did love him, _but she was afraid that a part of her was also starting to open up to Damon._ "Go. I'll be safe with Damon."

Stefan nodded, reached inside of his jacket and pulled out a small plastic bag. He pressed it into Elena's hands. "Vervain. Put it in your family's food tonight, just to be safe. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Be careful," Elena told him.

"I will." He opened the door, looking back at his brother. "Damon, I am trusting you with her."

"Oh, don't get your panties in a bunch brother, I am the stronger one out of us two, remember? Nothing will happen to her. You have my word, whatever that's worth."

Stefan left and Damon grinned widely. "Look like I'm staying for dinner. What's on the menu?"

Elena rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen, holding the bag of vervain up in the air for him to see. "Just be nice to my family," she warned him. "You're a guest."

"I'm always nice." He followed her into the kitchen, casually leaning against one of the counters as he watched her make preparations for tonight's meal. "I've been particularly nice to you, affectionate even."

She fumbled with the jar she was trying to open and it slipped from her hands, but never hit the floor. Damon caught it before it could, handing it back to her, looking more than satisfied with himself. He got the desired effect from her. _It did something to her_ and that was all he was asking of her at the moment.

She didn't know what to say, so she was grateful when she heard Aunt Jenna's keys in the front door… and the topic was dropped before her breathing could quicken and she would give herself away.

~*~

Dinner was actually a pleasant experience tonight. Damon made an honest effort, acting polite and charming towards Aunt Jenna and actually getting along with Jeremy. It made Elena hold back a smile. It had been a while since Jeremy hadn't been the only man at the table. She appreciatively mentioned this to Jenna when they were doing the dishes and thought of it still when she was upstairs changing for bed. Just like that her mind about Damon had been changed again, so different from this morning.

She switched off the light and left the bathroom wearing blue checkered girl boxers and a white tank. (It was more than she had worn the night before). She wasn't surprised to find Damon sprawled comfortably on her bed when she came in, she had expected it, almost hoped it. He didn't hide his sexual preoccupation with her as he took a good look at her, his eyes burning her skin and right through her nightwear, or so it seemed.

"Ready for bed are we?" He asked in his usual flirtatious manner. Elena crossed her arms self-consciously, but taking a confident stance as she cocked one hip to the side. He chuckled and lifted both of his hands. "Hey, I'm just here to do as I was asked. The closer I am, the safer you will be," he fed the words to her, so sweetly that it made her stomach ache.

She walked over to the window Damon had used to enter her room and closed it. She took a survey of the street in front of the house, but could locate nothing out of the ordinary. Still she asked, "Could you sense anything?"

He shook his head and she let the curtain fall into place. No longer seeing Damon as a nuisance for being on her bed, she got into bed and under the covers. She would sleep better with him so close. She reached for the lamp beside her bed, hesitating a little while before turning it off resolutely.

Damon's eyes adjusted to the darkness instantly and he kept a close eye on her as she turned onto her side, facing him. As she instinctively curled her body up against him, cautiously allowing her limbs to brush and linger against his leg, he took her hand in his. _It was all he could do that was appropriate_. This wave of tenderheartedness caused him to go under willingly, at a side of her he was usually banned from seeing. She wore her vulnerability very well indeed.

He waited for her to draw back her hand from his, but she didn't. He began massaging the pressure points in her hand, feeling her relax and drift off into slumber. Damon savored the intimacy of the silent moment.

~*~

Elena's peaceful sleep was disturbed by a consistent tapping, faint at first, though it got louder the more awake and aware she got. It was only when she couldn't see Damon anywhere that she sat upright in bed, immediately reaching to turn on the light. But the light didn't go on, no matter how many times she flicked the switch.

In the dark, the tapping began to reverberate through her room. She was amazed it hadn't woken up her Aunt and brother yet. Her feet unsteadily fastened themselves to the floor beneath her as she got up, creeping to where the insistent tapping was coming from. Her feet mimicked the echoing melody that began to thud at an almost painful volume. Simultaneously, she heard her name being chanted over and over in her head, in time with the thudding.

She was almost drawn to the window, jumping at the contrast she was faced with: immaculate white feathers against a starless black backdrop. It was an owl on the other side of her window, an owl that was spurring her on to open the window and let it in. Despite her not wanting to do so, she could do nothing but watch herself reach for the latch.

There was another voice as well, only heard through great effort on her part. She knew the person it belonged to, but couldn't… It was coming from a place that seemed so far away…

"Damon!" she called out for help.

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**Please review? **Reviews would be greatly appreciated, comments and critique as well, since I aim to improve, always. Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope you'll continue to be interested.


	5. Uneasy State of Mind

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights to the television or the book series of _The Vampire Diaries_. I am merely pulling the strings in my own interpretation of the story.**

**A/N: **Tadaa! Another chapter, and it only took me a week this time, which isn't too bad for me. I really fell in love with this chapter while writing it and it is definitely my favorite one so far! I really wanted to emphasize the softer side of Damon that is vulnerable to Elena, but never lost track of the fact that, despite everything, he remains a vampire. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do, and I would really appreciate it if you left me behind a review and stated your opinion?! Thanks to the people who did that last time!

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****Uneasy State of Mind**

"_Don't let the silence do the talking…"_

Elena came out of her dream state suddenly, waking with a start and not in her bed the way she was supposed to be. Just like in her dream, she stood in front of the window, the only exception was that there was nothing to look at now. Not anymore. The owl, if it had ever been there, was gone, but her hand still lingered on the window's latch, the dream proving to have been dangerously more than that.

With a gasp of realization, like that of someone who becomes aware that the nightmare they had just woken up from is actually part of their reality, she snatched her hand back and turned away from the window. Damon was right next to her, the way things had been when she had closed her eyes.

His eyes were set on her determinedly, as if he wasn't planning on letting her out of his sight ever again. He was genuinely concerned, and his humane side was showing, but only because it was her, and she tugged at the single heartstring he had left. The one he had tucked away as a token of his love for Katherine, a reminder that, once, love had affected him, and the inkling of that same feeling was growing with every stolen kiss and moment alone with Elena.

Turning her would still be a satisfying experience for him, but only if she cooperated. Damon now knew she wouldn't sacrifice the life she had, and he respected her strong will; her pain wouldn't gratify him. Not that it should be something he thought about. She was Stefan's, and somewhere he did feel the slightest sting of guilt, knowing the broken heart his brother would suffer from. And perhaps would never recover from, _Stefan took things to heart. _Elena meant more to him than Katherine had.

Elena had dedicatedly chosen his brother for so long, her feelings never wavering until recently. He would distance himself and preoccupy himself with other human girls, but he couldn't when there was a powerful and anonymous elder after her. "You okay?" he asked her, his tone calm and sound so as to counterbalance her distraught state of being.

She nodded her head slowly, her hands now tucked beneath her armpits. "I think so. I don't—what did I do?"

Damon shrugged. "Nothing, as far as I can tell. It must've been some vivid dream huh?"

Elena shook her head. "It wasn't a dream. It couldn't have been. It was so… real." She turned to face the window once more. "He wanted me to open the window, invite him in. I almost did…"

She whirled back around, her and Damon's eyes colliding frantically as the situation began to make sense to him. The cloud of haziness was lifted instantly and he hastily made his way over to the window, standing beside her as he looked out into the darkness, being able to see more than she could. "Sneaky little son of a dead bitch," he murmured angrily. "It's the oldest trick in the book. I can't believe I didn't see it coming." His knuckles were turning white as he gripped the window sill rigidly.

"So, it was him, the same guy who I saw this afternoon? Just in his bird form, like when you change into a raven?"

Damon gave her a single nod, keeping his eyes on the scenery outside as his senses kicked into overdrive, pushing them as far as they possibly would go. "What shape did he take?"

"An owl, a white one."

"Of course, elders always go overboard with the theatricality. Inconspicuous isn't usually what they're going for."

"I don't get what he wants with me," Elena thought out loud, drawing Damon's attention back to her."Me neither." He quickly eyed her. "Don't worry, if my brother's one thing he's devoted, especially to you. You're like the planet he orbits around, it's pathetic," he went on, more to himself than to her.

"He must know I'm human though, must have sensed it," Elena purposely ignored Damon's remark. _Now was not the time or place_ for quarreling.

Damon snorted. "He was probably too excited to have finally found you, Katherine, to notice. Katherine's followers tended to act like love sick puppies, too obsessed for their own good. Too obsessed to see what she was really like…" His gaze drifted off, as did his thoughts as he allowed himself to slip into a temporarily musing of the past, feeling even more distant when he had the present standing right beside him. _She was even more beautiful when facing disaster head on._ It was one of the reasons why he had wanted so badly to turn her into his own dark princess, recognizing that he wouldn't need to watch over her constantly and that she would be able to take care of herself. Like she was doing now; despite what had gone on and what she had been told to do by the elder, she had resisted long enough to get herself out of the situation. She had snapped out of it before he could come to the rescue, driven by sheer will power alone. She was strong, although he realized that the supernatural would be more than able to put a dent in her.

"Damon," she said his name, gently placing her hand on his forearm so as to not shake him out of his reverie too cruelly. "Is there anything you can do? Is he still near the house?" She nervously glanced out the window.

Damon nodded, faintly sensing a field of power as he stretched thin his own. A part of him knew that he shouldn't go after an elder by himself, but arrogant as he was about his own capabilities, he discarded the thought as a glitch of some kind. Resolutely, he opened the window. "I'm going after him, see how far I can track him."

"Maybe you should get Stefan first," she worried, the pressure of her hand on his arm increasing. "Maybe he found something in the journals."

"He would've flashed over here if he did, but I'm flattered by your concern." He waited patiently for her to let him go before he climbed out onto the roof and stuck his head back in briefly. "Shut the window behind me and try to stay awake until I get back," he finished with a charming smile.

Elena watched him change into his raven form and closed the window _as he took flight_.

Their time apart, Elena spent checking on Jenna and her brother, after which she continued to fretfully pace around her bedroom. She had no sense of time anymore as it went so much slower than she remembered it going. However, it seemed to speed up just as rapidly as her heart did when she heard a tap at the window. Naturally she was fearful because it reminded her of what she had woken up from not so long ago, but once she spotted the black raven, she hurried to open the window.

The raven blurred into a large black fog, only to change back quickly into Damon's human self, although he did it anything but gracefully as he fell onto Elena's bedroom floor. His black shirt stuck to him where the blood had seeped through completely, blood dripped down his face, and he was nursing his arm with his other hand.

"Damon!" Elena dropped down to her bare knees, her features instantly changing at the sight in front of her. They hardened as she tried to maintain some sort of control over herself, knowing that she had to be just as strong as Damon was intending on being. He thrived on other people's weaknesses, but admired how she tried to camouflage hers in front of him.

"Oh my god… What happened?" she asked, running her fingers lightly over his shirt and arm, trying to calculate the amount of damage that had been done.

"The bastard was waiting for me. He didn't even wait for me to change back from my raven form," he told her through clenched teeth.

"Was he still in his bird from as well?"

Damon nodded and allowed her to help him up from the floor. "He nearly ripped my wing off. It's dislocated," he referred to his shoulder as he sat down on Elena's bed.

She stood in front of him. "It needs to be popped back in, do you want me to… I mean, I've never done it before, so you'd have to—"

"I can do it."

Elena took a step back and nodded, turning her eyes away as he fixed his arm, trying not to let the sound of it get to her.

"You can look again," he said, his tone slightly mocking, although his eyes reflected the pain he felt, but didn't want to show.

"Why aren't you healing?" she inquired, keeping him occupied as she crouched down in front of him and began unbuttoning his shirt, not needing the mood to be lightened at her expense. "I've seen you and Stefan attacked before, but usually…"

"We bounce right back," Damon finished for her. He nodded. "Yeah, we vampires are pretty resilient, but it takes us longer to heal when attacked by an older vampire, especially one that's ancient."

"But you'll be okay?" Elena dropped her hands as she looked up at him.

"I'll be just like new by morning." The corner of his mouth lifted as he flashed her half of his trademark grin. "I like the position you're in by the way, and the one you're putting me in." He gestured at his open shirt.

He saw the relief wash over her at his remark. She affectionately touched her hand to his knee as she got up. "Then you're going to love what I'm going to ask you to do next. I need you to take off your shirt, to—"

Damon held up both his hands, motioning for her to not say anymore. "Whatever the reason, I'm already liking this plan." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully as he began taking off his shirt.

Meanwhile, Elena disappeared into the bathroom to get a bowl of water and a towel. He watched her put the bowl on her bedside table, careful not to spill any of the lukewarm water. She guided him into a more comfortable position on the bed so his back was leaning against the headboard and got on her knees beside him, dipping the clean towel into the water before bringing it to his chest. It proved an easier starting point than his face, permitting him to get used to the role of caretaker she had assigned to herself. He had seen her do this for his brother, but he never thought she would do it for him, not after how he had treated her in the past, _how careless he had been with her_, and her life.

And it was so out of character for him to give in to these romantic fancies that were for the faint of heart, but his heart was beating stronger than ever, pounding against the cage he had locked it in, desperately wanting to escape, but she wasn't his to escape to.

He watched her from behind a veil of silence as she washed the blood from his chest, taking in how concentration furrowed her brow and concern slightly pouted her lips. For a monster, he was getting damn soft, vulnerable to a girl, a human girl nonetheless. His gaze intensified and locked on her when she finally looked at him again, carefully dapping at his face with the towel.

"You'll be fine," she assured him, and what had still remained standing of his defenses instantly crumbled away. His hands, which he had kept motionless at his sides, came up to rest on her hips, his fingers sinking into the soft skin as he pulled her onto his lap. She straddled him, dropping the towel as her hands landed on his shoulders. Their upper bodies lined up and came in contact delicately, their foreheads lightly touched, and their eyes met in a fervent collision, like _a flash of thunder crackling across the night sky_. It expressed their inner mayhem as it erupted and finally burst through the surface.

Both their breathing quickened, hers hitching in her throat in anticipation. She cupped his face between her hands and stopped him. "I can't. Not until I know exactly what it is that I'm feeling. I need some time. I need to be sure before… before I come clean to Stefan, to you," she poured out her heart to him, taking the chance because he had shown his good side to her, the side that would be worth loving and could love back just as deeply. "The last thing I want is to be the next thing that stands between you and Stefan. I can't lead him on, but I can't give you false hope either. I…" She let go of his face, hesitant with her next words. "I don't want to be like Katherine."

Damon opened his mouth to speak, but she silenced him by placing both her hands over his mouth. She shook her head. "No, I mean, I literally don't want to be like Katherine. I don't want to have to be dead to be with you. I don't want to be a vampire, Damon. My life isn't perfect by far, but it's mine to live and I need to be there for Jeremy," she told him, sounding almost like she was pleading her case to him.

She dropped her hands and Damon nodded, pulling her into him just a little more as he did so. He brushed a few stray strands from her face and tipped her chin up, their eyes leveled. "Listen, Elena, you don't have to vouch for your life; I'm not going to take it from you."

She nodded in understanding, turning her head so it was no longer in his grip as she asked the following question, "But you would have, wouldn't you? Before something changed. You would've happily turned me before, against my will and to hurt Stefan, to have one over him," she continued when he stayed silent.

"Elena…"

"Wouldn't you? I mean, doesn't all this go against your nature?" she pushed even further.

"What's your point?" he asked, his eyes slightly darkening in anger and she felt him slowly resume to his usual state of aloofness and detachment.

"What changed?"

"Excuse me?"

"I want to know what changed for you to treat me so differently." She shifted her weight, taking most of it off him as she leaned back a little, completely clearing the path to his gaze. "You've been kind, benevolent for your doing, and… almost human."

Damon didn't flinch at her choice of words like she had expected him to; instead, he continued to look at her from behind hooded eyes. His upper lip curled up ever so slightly to reveal a fang. "Do you really need an answer to that question…? Hasn't my behavior been up to par with what you want from me?" He touched his tongue to his fang briefly. "Would you prefer it if I went back to treating you the way I tend to treat human girls?"

"Damon, don't. It was a simple enough question." Elena shook her head and sighed. "I thought we were past this, these cat and mouse games." She began to detangle her limbs from his, wanting to retreat back into her personal space, but he didn't let her.

"Elena," he said, holding her in place gently so she would be able to escape if she put enough effort in. "You gave me as many second chances as it took for me to get it right, more chances than anyone has ever given me. To be honest, I don't really know what to do with that," he confessed, the darkness having faded from his features again.

Elena looked at him again, her body slowly creeping closer to him. Her arms went around his neck, her fingers wrapping themselves in his dark tresses as _she hid her face in his neck and inhaled. _

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**Please review? **I am finding great pleasure and satisfaction in writing this story, but I do like to read what you guys think of it, and what you liked or disliked, needs improving? I'm all ears! Thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully review.


	6. Chaos & Confusion

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the book or television series of _The Vampire Diaries_**. **I have just decided to temporarily borrow the characters for my own purposes.**

**A/N: **First of all, I would like to thank everyone who took time out of their daily lives and decided to read my story as their dose of escapism. I really appreciate it so much, especially the ones who, not only read the last chapter, but also left a few lines behind. Secondly, this chapter is one of those chapters where everything seems to come together, but falls apart at the same time, if that makes sense? A lot happens and since that is one of the things my writing still struggles with, I'm not the proudest of the writing in this chapter. Still, I enjoyed the writing of it and I hope you'll find something to like in it as well.

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**Chaos & Confusion**

"_Forgive me for trying"_

When Elena opened her eyes again, morning sun was filtering in through the window and cast an almost heavenly glow over her drowsy form. Damon had disappeared, leaving behind no trace that he had ever been there, even the bowl with water that had turned crimson and the bloodstained towel were no longer on her bedside table.

She stretched her limbs lazily before turning onto her side, planning on basking in last night's glow… However, before her thoughts could be led astray, she noticed Stefan's sleeping form in a chair across from her bed. His eyes flew open before she could say his name, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"Hey," she said, her manner shyer than usual, a way for her to retreat back into herself and not let everything slip through the cracks on the surface. His dark eyes glimmered like jewels, exposed in the sunlight, open and clear, so beautiful that it sometimes hurt to look right into. Not so unlike his brother's… Damon's eyes were also like diamonds, but diamonds in the rough: beautiful but unpolished, not revealing their truest form just yet.

"Morning," he returned.

"Why didn't you wake me?" She sat up a little in bed, not ready yet to leave the protective shield of her covers.

"Well," he began, getting up in the meantime, "I heard you had quite a night."

Elena lowered her eyes briefly before meeting his again head-on. "How's Damon? Did he recover?"

Stefan nodded. "For the most part, but you know Damon…"

"Stubborn and arrogant," she finished, smiling halfheartedly.

He matched it with a faint smile of his own and nodded again, the smile fading fast. "Seriously though, if it hadn't been for you, Damon's healing process would've taken considerably longer."

"I only cleaned his cuts..." She shrugged, breaking eye contact with Stefan.

"It's more than he would've done; he should be grateful."

"I'm sure he is," she brushed it off, knowing full well how affected Damon had been by her act of compassion. She wondered if Stefan realized how susceptible Damon really was to a kind and open heart, awed almost at the mere possibility that someone could treat him like he wasn't a monster. "I told him not to go after the owl—him … He told you, right?"

"He did," Stefan answered her with a nod of his head. "That's why I came to watch over you while Damon went home to rest and recover."

"In case I started sleepwalking again." Elena let herself fall back against her pillows. "Is there anything we can do about that?"

"Unfortunately, we can't," he shared, shaking his head. "But maybe Bonnie or her grandmother knows of a spell." He sat down on the edge of her bed and she waited out the silence for a little bit longer before asking him, "Did you find anything in Katherine's journals?" She lay against the pillows and watched him, her gaze caressing his features: the sharp and chiseled lines, strong and defined, and his dark and deep set eyes. He was literal poetry in motion, the reinvention of the Byronic hero. And he was so good and his life was worth living because of her, and worth sacrificing for her. Although, hadn't Damon left her room yesterday with the same intention, even if he hadn't told her in so many words. He left nobility up to Stefan, but kept her close to his heart as well, surprisingly close even.

The arrogance of her thoughts made her cringe internally, realizing that she was assuming all of these grand and epic notions of love that the brothers held for her, notions that could be read from Stefan's expressive face and presupposed from Damon's recent behavior towards her. Still, it wasn't a flattering position to be in, in the middle of the Salvatore brothers. Rather, it was a difficult one and guilt and admiration for Stefan's never-wavering loyalty and ability to love, despite his vampire nature, enveloped her and she got up on her knees and embraced him from behind. She put her arms around his neck and rested her chest against his back, trying to become one with him, limbs intertwining like a Baroque statue.

"I'll take the silence as a no?" she whispered against his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder.

He clasped her hands with his and shook his head. "I went through every page. There was nothing in there about an elder, so even if she met them during her lifetime, she didn't write about them."

"To protect them?"

He nodded. "Katherine hoped to survive long enough to become one herself. It were the only beings she looked up to and admired for their endurance and power." He turned his body towards her, making it easier for him to look at her. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault; you did all you could, staying up all night to go through her journals."

"Damon almost got killed," Stefan said the obvious out loud and she retreated from the hug, remaining on her knees with her hands folded in her lap. "That was my fault. I told him to get you first, but I knew that he would go after the elder by himself anyway. I'm glad he's okay. I would've felt so guilty."

"_Even more guilty than you already do?" _she asked herself in her head, pretending that Stefan had said it out loud, wondering if she would be able to take the blow that was bound to land soon. It had to; she couldn't keep walking around like this, with only half her heart open to Stefan's affections, while she tried her hardest to keep the other half closed off to Damon's magnetism.

Stefan put his hand on her thigh, his eyes fixing on hers closely. "Damon's fine. If anything, he's even more determined to figure out who this vampire is." He pulled his hand back, looking pensive. "I even think that, somewhere, he's intrigued by the elder, the same way Katherine was."

Elena's eyes turned big and Stefan soundlessly chuckled. "Don't worry. Damon won't hesitate to kill him if he's given the opportunity to. He can't deal having someone around more powerful than himself. Until he does, you have to be extra careful and on your guard, for yourself and your family and friends. Damon and I will do all we can, you have our word."

Elena nodded. "I know. Thank you." Their hands met in the middle and he pulled her into an embrace, soft at the edges, but apprehensive at the center. _They both felt it,_ but chose not to ruin the much needed moment. It was also a sad moment they relished in, one of the last time things might be so peaceful between them, unaffected.

_She let him kiss her._

Elena went to school that day like it was any other day. Dressed in a pair of dark purple jeans, a green flowing top, brown boots, and a jacket to match, she sat down for lunch with Bonnie at one of the tables in front of the school. Her best friend looked much more bohemian than she did and seemed to be more at peace outside, sitting beneath the willow tree, than she was inside.

Elena, wearing her heart out on her sleeve where it was so easily spot by Bonnie, got roped into another conversation about her feelings for the Salvatore brothers, torn right down the middle, although she was beginning to have a preference for the malevolent one. Bonnie tried to talk some sense into her, but her feelings for Stefan continued to stand on very shaky ground.

She was in the middle of shining a more flattering light on Damon when Bonnie zoned off into her own little world, the way she sometimes did. Her gaze became fixed on something in the distance, her nose wrinkled up ever so slightly, and she pressed her lips together tightly.

"Bonnie," Elena tried recapturing her friend's attention.

"Elena," Bonnie said her name quietly, "do you know that guy over there?"

Elena looked to where Bonnie was looking at, immediately spotting the guy she was referencing to. She quickly looked him over, taking in the hazel colored eyes, the smooth and somewhat feminine lines of his face, and the black hair, though when she narrowed her eyes a little, she realized that there were grey, no white streaks dispersed throughout. She shook her head, even though there was something familiar about him… almost like she had seen him before… somewhere….

Suddenly, out of realization, she flinched, surprising Bonnie and throwing off Caroline who had just sat down. "Jeez, Elena, what's your deal!?" Caroline brought a hand to her heart.

"You okay?" Bonnie asked, concerned.

Elena nodded. "Yeah, it's just… The guy over there—"

"You mean the one who's been staring at you for like ever?" Caroline rolled her eyes. "I just walked by him and he didn't even so much as glanced at me. I don't think that has ever happened. Wait, do you know him?" She turned to look at Elena.

Elena shook her head, exchanging a look with Bonnie, who she had told everything to earlier. "Not really. I mean, I've seen him around before."

"Oh my god, is he stalking you? He doesn't even go to this school."

Elena nodded. "Yeah, something like that. Do me a favor and remember what he looks like?"

"Why, do you need glasses or something?"

"I just… keep forgetting what he looks like, must be an effect he has," she said, the last part of her comment directed to Bonnie, who understood and shot Elena a confident little smile. "I don't think you have to worry about that this time. I've been practicing something, in case I run into Damon."

"Okay, what are you two talking about because it's not making any sense to me anymore," Caroline complained. "And why are we even bringing up Damon? You know how I feel about him."

Elena nodded, but kept her eyes on Bonnie as she saw her lose her sense of reality once again, retreating back into her own mind as she worked her magic. Elena didn't feel a thing as Bonnie used her powers to project an invisible shield, one that guarded her friend's feelings, thoughts, and memories from the stranger. It was as if a sudden haze clouded Elena's mind, one the elder had to fumble through before he could get close enough to compel her. It gave her the time to text Stefan, he and Damon already on school grounds when she looked back up, one her guardian angel and the other the fallen angel, suitably dressed in an all black attire.

The elder had already made itself scarce by that time, although it all couldn't have happened in more than half a minute. She didn't know which brother to look to first as she excused herself from the table to walk over to them. Bonnie kept a close eye on her friend as she followed, after having shot Caroline an apologetic look, who stayed behind out of her own free will, not wanting to be anywhere near Damon.

Elena forced herself to walk over to Stefan, trying to feel at home in his embrace.

"You just missed him by a minute, tops," Bonnie told them, taking on the part of the communicator to Elena's relief.

"You remember what he looked like this time?" Damon inquired with a wry smile.

Elena nodded and shot her best friend a thankful smile of her own. "Thanks to Bonnie."

Damon and Stefan raised their eyebrows in unison and Bonnie quickly explained, "I managed to project a protective layer over her mind, or something like that. It's something I've been working on," she finished with a modest shrug of her bare shoulders, her eyes on Damon all the while.

"How crafty of you," he retorted.

"How long does it last?"

Bonnie briefly shifted her gaze over to Stefan. "A few minutes, but it was long enough to keep the memory intact. He left."

"Really, I didn't realize that. I thought he was merely kicking our butts in hide and go seek."

Stefan gave his brother a look before setting his soulful eyes back on the girl in front of him. "What did he look like?"

"Like marble," Elena answered. "Flawless." She earned herself a sideways glance from Damon and a slight raise of his upper lip as he withheld a chuckle. "Hazel eyes…"

"With a hint of green," Bonnie added dreamily, not able to deny the elder's striking appearance.

Damon rolled his eyes, but kept his remarks to himself for once.

"And hair as black as a raven's wings," Elena continued, purposely staring off into space instead of looking at either one of the brothers. "But there were streaks of white in it, the same color the owl was."

"Damon," Stefan said, knowing that out of the two of them, Damon had het sharper memory.

Damon stare went deadly blank as he sifted through his memories, trying to find a face that would match the description. After a few minutes, his usually smooth brow furrowed and his eyes darkened. "Stefan, remember the old man's last apprentice, the bookworm who was so eager to make a name for himself…"

"Alexander," Stefan replied immediately and nodded. "Of course, he was even more obsessed with vampires than father himself."

"Wait, who's Alexander?" Bonnie interrupted.

"Xavier."

"He preferred to be called that," Stefan explained.

"Thought it made him sound even more ancient or something," Damon remarked."He was one of the old man's many admirers."

"Xavier was dedicated to learning everything he possibly could about vampires while he was around our father. He was always incredibly protective of Katherine…" Stefan trailed off, letting realization hit everyone simultaneously. "He was an old vampire even back then, of course we didn't realize this until later, after Katherine had turned us."

"So he was another one of Katherine's suitors?" Elena asked.

Damon shook his head. "No, though I'm pretty sure he desperately wanted to be one."

"He turned Katherine," Stefan told them. "He had been obsessed with her when she was still human and decided to turn her, so he could have her to himself forever."

"Of course this backfired," Damon took over. "Katherine wasn't one to be tied down. She didn't stay with him long. She went rogue so to speak."

"But he got a position with our father in order to remain as close as he could to her, keeping an eye on her. Katherine was his most promising vampire."

"Promising?" Elena questioned Stefan, although it was Damon who answered her. "Out of all the women he had turned, Katherine was one of the few who survived, desperately wanting to be even more ancient than she already is one day. An elder," he impatiently spelled out for them.

"He didn't manage to keep Katherine under his thumb, the way he wanted," Stefan went on. "Instead she developed an infatuation with us." He gestured towards himself and Damon.

"Green was definitely not his color," Damon said with a raise of his eyebrows. "One he is apparently still wearing, since he is coming after you, our own personal Katherine look-a-like. Just another guy fighting for your affection." His gaze intensified for a split second before he looked away, not able to wipe away his devious grin.

After school, Elena spent some time at home and had dinner with Jenna and Jeremy, keeping the mood purposely light because she knew it would only be getting heavier after this. Like the way she always knew how a light drizzle would only turn into a downpour if the sky was stacked with clouds in a variety of grays. She warned Jeremy about the elder, feeding him the same story she had Caroline: a stalker, but not dangerous enough to call the cops on. He brushed it off with a nonchalant roll of his eyes and she left, her veins full with vervain as she had made yet another meal with the protective herb in it. Before, it would've reassured her of her own safety, but Damon was no longer a threat, _or not the biggest one at least. _

She felt nervous upon entering the Salvatore house, fearful of running into Damon first, but the house appeared empty after her first look around. Up the stairs she went, encountering Stefan on his bed, not holding a book, yet still looking deeply enthralled by something. Guessing the cause, she dropped herself onto the bed as well, crawling over to him on her hands and knees and kissing him, surrendering herself to it as much as she could.

He didn't return her sudden burst of affection. Instead, he pushed her away from him gently, creating enough distance between them to look at her unhindered.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she almost whispered, placing her hand on the side of his face carefully, like he would fall apart at her touch. "If you're worried about Xavier, don't. We're one step closer; we know who he is and Bonnie can help us."

"That's not it."

"Then…" She bit her lip. "You know what, let's forget about it, at least for tonight." She kissed him again, more urgently this time, although she cut the kiss short to say to him, expressing frantically and clinging to him, "I've missed you, Stefan."

She kissed him again and, this time, she felt him respond, wanting to recapture their initial mystique as much as she did. For a vampire boyfriend, he was perfect in the sense that he was good. She felt it flowing from his fingers as he touched her and she was willing to thrust herself into that goodness, _feeling her own fading_. She found her body no longer meshing with his the way it had before, but before they could try even harder, the sound of someone clearing their throat came in between.

Of course it was Damon, who had positioned himself in the doorframe, his expression seemingly blank and detached, although Elena could see the emotion slither across his face, almost too quick for the human eye to follow. Yet, she caught it; he had to put real effort in if he wanted to conceal anything from her anymore, but the same went for her. Now, this proved to be the downside for the both of them and Stefan was right there to witness it all.

She didn't look over her shoulder at Damon, nor did she look at Stefan; instead, she leaned back, resting her weight on her thighs as she laid her hands on them.

"Damon," Stefan broke the tense silence between them all, "would you mind giving us our privacy, we're—"

"Kind of in the middle of something," Damon retorted snidely. "Yeah, I got that, though I think maybe you two missed the whole point of privacy, and decency by leaving the door wide open for anyone to walk in."

"I forgot," she tried.

Damon barely took in what she said and let out a laugh that alarmed her even more. His temper flared and his composure finally burst at the seams, something that had been bound to happen. Yet, his reply was more refined than she would have thought and his tone remained balanced as he said to her, "Seems like a lot of things have been slipping your mind lately… Like which piece of cake you like the most. See, from my humble perspective," he touched his fingers to his bottom lip briefly, "you want your cake in two different flavors, devouring both pieces almost entirely before deciding on one of them. But, still, you find yourself torn between the two… pieces of cake, although one has to be more delicious to your taste buds than the other, right Elena?"

Elena sighed and watched Stefan look from her to Damon and back again. His gaze was heavy as it rested on her and all she could do was get up from the bed when he did. She spun to face Damon, but regret was the last thing on his mind, and she understood_. It had been a long time coming_.

She nodded at Stefan, who kept his gaze on her, burning her from the inside out. "Damon, you need to leave," he told his brother.

"I'm not going anywhere little brother, I've earned my ticket to this show, believe me."

"Damon," Stefan said again through gritted teeth, trying to hold back his anger as much as he could.

Elena saw this and took a step towards Damon, stretching her arm out to him, her palm up. "Damon, please," she pleaded.

"This is your own fault, why should I give?"

"I need this time with him, Damon, and you being here won't make it any easier—"

"Good."

"…on him. It won't make it any easier on him." Elena touched her fingers to his chest, an immediate shot of electricity between them the result. Her breathing sped up as did her heart, although she kept her eyes downcast all the while, realizing that she didn't have to make it any harder on Stefan.

Finally, Damon nodded and, as quickly and silently as he had come in, he left the room.

She closed her eyes and inhaled, feeling a gust of air reach her from the open window. She reopened her eyes, Stefan still directly across from her, only something was different… His expression had changed, and it was when she pulled her attention from his face that she noticed the thin wooden arrow sticking out of his chest.

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**Please review? **I know it may seem a hassle to leave behind a review, but I do welcome then and really appreciate them. Comment and critique are welcome and if there's anything I can take and learn from them, I do! Thanks again. Until the next chapter! :)


	7. Taken

**Disclaimer: I don't own the book or television series _The Vampire Diaries_ and am merely borrowing the characters and temporarily pulling their strings.**

**A/N: **First of all, OMG to everyone who also watched the season finale! So many loose ends! I can't wait for the second season to start. I absolutely love the show and it is my favorite breakthrough show out of all the new ones out there. The writers did such a good job developing it from a book series into a television show. Secondly, to everyone who reviewed my last chapter (and the others) I couldn't be more grateful. And, thirdly, I am really enjoying the whole writing process of this story. It's been a long time since I branched out from writing just one parters, so I really appreciate that you have decided to come along for the ride. I felt this chapter had to stand on its own and, also, again I took some liberties with the vampire myth, but still I have it'll be to your satisfaction.

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**Taken**

"_And my heart won't beat again…"_

Elena fell down onto her knees, beside where Stefan collapsed onto the wooden floor. His feet had given away from beneath him, the sudden surge of pain making its way into his system rapidly and spreading throughout his body, leaving it aching unnaturally. His eyes rolled back in his head, catching a passing glimpse of Elena's big brown ones as they stared down at him, moving closer and closer by the second as she was right beside him within seconds. He felt her distress as it radiated off her. She had never been good at keeping things hidden inside of her; it was too heavy of burden to bear. Yet, she had been able to keep something from him, and, although he didn't know precisely what it was, he had his finger on the pulse of the matter when he guessed it was related to his brother in a major way.

"Damon!" he heard her scream for his brother like her life depended on it, _when really it was his own_.

Damon walked in on his brother slumped on the floor clasping his chest, and Elena hovering over him, her hands a bright red, like she had decided to dip both of her hands completely in a bucket of red paint. Unfortunately, the scenario wasn't the result of anything as playful and innocent as that, Damon recognized the severity instantly.

"I knew I should've stayed." He forced himself to make light of the situation as he lowered himself down to Stefan and Elena's level. "You didn't have to stab him, you know," he directed at Elena, though his eyes remained fixed on his brother as he examined the damage.

The arrow had missed the heart by an inch or two, something Elena had already deducted as well. Still, there was something else… His brother wasn't one to go down with a single hit. Damon reached to pull the arrow from Stefan's chest, but Stefan stopped him. "Vervain," he uttered throatily. "It's been doused in vervain."

Damon pulled his hand back and Elena brought hers to Stefan's chest, taking a hold of the arrow and pulling it out before he could brace himself against it. Damon didn't have to guide her; she had been through her share of thorny situations and had seen enough bloodshed to know how to maintain her self-control. Still, her tearstained face and his brother's bloodstained shirt stirred something from within. Somewhere he wished that they had never intruded into her life and left the water untroubled instead of running red.

Stefan groaned in pain as the wood was splintered and pulled from his skin. Elena tossed the arrow to the other side of the room as Damon inspected the wound. "He'll be okay," he told her before she could ask. "It'll just take a little longer than usual to heal."

He threw Stefan a t-shirt to hold against the wound and then turned to Elena, taking her sternly by the upper arms. "He's going to take you, Elena…"

Her eyes flickered from one face to the other as the panic she had tried so hard to suppress, instantly began to bubble up. "What? Damon…" She shook her head as her breathing became more frantic and irregular. "No. He can't. Please."

Damon's fingers dug deeper into her skin, the slight sting bringing her to her senses. He tilted his head to the side a little, catching her eyes with his own, empathy and regret purposely put on public display, so she knew this wasn't what he had wanted. His heart may still be cold at the center, but around the edges it had warmed up to her. He now knew what the value of a human life because he felt it. "I need you to focus and listen to me. We don't have more than a couple of minutes. Take a deep breath."

Elena did as she was told, taking a quick look at Stefan to remind her of why she was about to go through whatever the elder wanted to put her through. It gave her courage; she had been through many life-threatening and altering situations before and she had gotten out of those with barely a scratch on her. _She could handle a few more scratches_. She refocused on Damon and nodded.

"He's going to take you," he repeated to her. "And there's nothing we can do about it."

Elena nodded again in understanding, but Stefan objected as he shook his head. "No, Damon, we are not going to let him take her. We'll fight him and—"

She placed a soothing hand on his. "Stefan, it's okay. I don't want you to get hurt even more than you already are. You _can't _protect me from him, neither can Damon."

A shiver ran down her spine at her words; she always thought Damon was the worst kind of vampire to mess with, but now his power wasn't even going to be able to save her. She looked at him. "What will happen to me?"

His eyes narrowed in determination. "Absolutely nothing; we will be coming for you before anything can happen, okay?" He didn't wait for her to answer as he reached over and tugged her vervain necklace from her neck, taking her cell phone out of her pocket at the same time. "You need to trust me; I have to compel you…"

"Damon, no," Stefan told him more firmly, his eyes on Elena's face, almost as pale as his own, as a tear slid down it. He tried to get to her, but winged in pain and fell back into his former passive position, _the tear in his hear finally having made its way through completely_. He sat back in heartache as he watched his brother and Elena continue to interact, all in the name of his well being.

"I don't want to be turned," she confessed to Damon. "And I have a feeling that that's exactly what he wants to do to me."

"That won't happen." Damon tightened his hand around Elena's necklace and gave her a single nod. "You have my word on that. Now, if you want me to do some sort of promising ritual that involves spit or my pinky finger, then you're out of luck. I'm too old to be doing juvenile stuff like that."

"Thank you," she mouthed, wiping the tears from her face as she mentally found some firm ground to stand on. She nodded. "I'm ready."

Damon gingerly took a hold of her by the back of the neck and before she knew it, she was swooning at the sound of his voice, willing to do anything and everything he wanted of her. It was a scary feeling, it must be to have your free will taken from you, but all she could feel was her own heartbeat, and all she could see were Damon's dark eyes. They seemed to be looking all the way into her soul, touching her in all the right places along the way. _She was seeing stars and feeling butterflies_.

She heard him say her name and the dreamy haze she found herself veiled in parted, allowing her a direct connection with him.

"Elena," he said again. "I need you to do everything Xavier asks of you. If you go with him willingly, he won't have any reason to hurt you." Damon paused to lick his bottom lip. "Now, he's going to want to turn you, and you're going to agree to this—"

Stefan opened his mouth to speak, but Damon held up his hand, silencing him. "Before he's going to turn you though, you're going to tell him that you'd like to visit your parents' grave one last time, to say goodbye to your human life and everything attached to it. When you're at the graveyard, there should be a wooden bridge near Mystic Fall's old church. The bridge should run over a small stream of sorts. Once you see the bridge, you run towards it. Do not listen to anything Xavier tells you. I want you to go to that bridge and stand in the middle of it. And you don't move from there until we come to meet you. Do you understand?" He waited for Elena to nod before continuing, "Everything I am telling you to do right now, you _will _remember."

He waited a few seconds, before leaning back and letting go of her. She came out of her trance with a sudden start, the way she always did when she dreamt about falling.

"You okay?" Damon asked with a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"Yeah, just a little lightheaded."

"Well, that is the desired effect."

"Damon," Stefan warned.

"I don't think I ever want you to do that to me again," Elena said. "And you didn't have to compel me to get me to do that."

"Actually, I did," Damon objected. "Whenever a vampire compels you, you have to do what they ask of you, even if another vampire compels you afterwards to do something else. Thus, you must complete the first task before being able to do so with the second one."

"Why the bridge?" Elena asked the next question quickly, realizing that they probably didn't have long left.

"According the myth, the water running underneath comes directly from the old church."

"It's holy water," Stefan explained.

Her forehead wrinkled. "I don't get it, I thought—"

"The older the vampire, the more vulnerable it is to myths and folk stories. If it is holy water running underneath the bridge, then Xavier won't be able to get on it, but we will."

"He's coming," Stefan told them, eyes on Elena as he tried to get to his feet, but was knocked back down instantly by some invisible force.

"Oh, don't get up," a voice said. Elena stood and turned, watching as Xavier manifested himself in the room, appearing out of thin air, or fog. "And, just in case anyone was wondering, my aim was off on purpose." He gestured at Stefan. "It was a mere warning. I just want the girl. Elena." He respectfully bowed his head at her. "And I will leave here with her. I've already wasted enough time, and, frankly, I'm too old for games."

"I don't remember inviting you in," Damon remarked.

Xavier chuckled. "I'm also too old, and powerful," he added with a menacing glance in Damon's direction, "to waste time on getting people to invite me in." He briefly touched the chain around his neck. "I had a witch, almost as powerful as myself, make this for me," he referred to the charm that hung from the chain. "What it boils down to, is that I can walk in wherever and whenever. Of course, I had to kill the witch afterwards. I didn't want it to lose its rareness."

"What do you want with me?" Elena asked him, knowing the answer already, but she was stalling. She couldn't deny still being scared and she didn't want to be taken away.

Xavier shrugged. "I know you're not Katherine, but you're close enough." He lifted his hand slightly and pulled it against his stomach, causing Elena to be lifted from the floor and fly through the air. She landed on her knees at his feet.

"Since it is impossible for me to have the real thing, I'll settle for second best. Plus, there's the added satisfaction of stealing the girl away from the Salvatore brothers, for once. The way you did with Katherine." Xavier's eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared angrily at the two brothers. "She was obsessed with you, and forgot about me in the process, the one who had made her. And, to make things even worse, thanks to you two, she was snatched from this world, killed in a fire. So, I am going to equal the playing field and take this one away from you, the way you took her from me."

He pulled Elena up from the floor and against him, her back against his chest. "A life for a life." He bit down into his own wrist, after which he forced it harshly against Elena's mouth and let the blood drip down her throat. She moaned as she struggled against his hold.

Stefan flew up from his position on the floor and was ready to go at Xavier, but Damon stopped him from doing so. He faced Xavier. "We don't want her to get hurt, for it to be a painful experience for her."

"Please," Stefan added through gritted teeth as he held back his anger, although his eyes had already turned black.

"It won't," Xavier promised them with a nod of his head. "But only if you let me take her without putting up a fight."

Stefan and Damon looked at each other and both nodded.

Xavier pulled his wrist from her mouth and Elena coughed, her eyes tearing up from the demeaning and ungracious experience, although she wouldn't back down from the situation. She looked at Stefan, who was obviously hurt, not only by the arrow, and then to Damon, whose eyes were focused on hers intently, almost as if he was trying to get a message through.

What a sight she must be, blood on her hands and mouth. She moaned, the blood she had consumed making her feel slightly sick and her eyes closed, only to flicker open and then shut again. She fell back and Xavier caught her, making her seem as light as a feather in his arms.

"Elena…" Stefan said, alarmed.

Elena managed to open her eyes to crack. "Please don't worry, Stefan. I loved you…"

Xavier chuckled. "You hear that, Salvatore, she loved you. That's one less to worry about. What about the other Salvatore brother, though." He nudged Elena. "What about Damon, love. Is there reason for me to kill him?"

"Love," Damon repeated mockingly with a roll of his eyes. "So much for adapting to modern times."

"I want to say goodbye… to my parents. Their graves…" Her eyes fell closed again and didn't open again, they wouldn't for a little while, but Xavier got the gist of it and shrugged. "She's going to be dead soon, so I might as well grant her a dying wish, right? Boys," he said on purpose, "it was nice running into you two again. Thanks for Katherine."

"It's Elena," Damon almost growled through between his teeth.

Xavier lifted Elena from the floor, hid his face in the hollow of her neck and inhaled. He gave the two brothers a wink before disappearing out of the window.

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**Please review? **Reviews are really appreciated and, although I am really finding great pleasure and satisfaction in writing this story for myself, they do motivate me and help me along. Kind words as well as harsh critique are welcome, since this is, as always, a learning process for me. Thanks. :)


	8. Savior

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to the book or television series _The Vampire Diaries_. All I own is my imagination, which is why I am temporarily pulling the characters' strings.**

**A/N: **This chapter was one of those that had to be in there, due to explanation reasons, but I definitely don't look at it as merely a filler. A lot actually does happen, so I hope you can appreciate it for what it is. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my last chapter, and hopefully you will do the same for this one. Also, I apologize for my writing as it isn't on point entirely, but I still wanted to get this chapter published today, so that is completely my bad. See through it though. :)

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**Savior**

"_Please make__ this easy on me…"_

Stefan let his gaze slip from the open window to the bed, the sheets all undone due to all the commotion that had occurred within a handful of minutes. If he had been human, he would have had to take a couple of minutes, taking everything in before he could function properly again_. But it would take a little while before his heart would beat regularly again. _

The bed and the sheets were symbolic of the state he was in; on the inside he was a mess. On the outside, he remained his composure with some effort, pushing the fabric bunched at his chest a little tighter to his chest. It stung, it was one a pain that numbed all his senses and left him in a state of paralysis, though it could only last a few seconds. He couldn't afford himself more time.

_He was removing himself from the twisted triangle as of now._

He still didn't look at his brother, resentment filling him up, even though he couldn't blame Damon for what had happened to Elena or for the feelings she had developed over time for him. They were genuine feelings, on both ends he believed, which was why he found himself calm when in the face of a heavy storm. He had sensed the distance between him and Elena, the uncomfortable tension as they forced themselves to be together and regain their perfect fit.

Elena's love for Damon wouldn't be eternal as long as she would remain mortal, something he would make sure of. Damon's love, on the other hand, would be. He would carry it with him forever, the way he still did with his love Katherine. It was buried, but Damon would still visit the headstone every now and then.

Stefan hung his head internally, because he knew that he couldn't afford to mourn his own loss right at this moment. He winced, the pain external as well as internal.

Damon noticed and said, "You should probably run off to the forest and eat some of those furry critters you call friends, for a good cause, of course, so they won't die in vain."

"What are you going to do?"

"I thought I'd go and round me up some witches, counter Xavier's magic tricks with some of my own," Damon explained. He continued to look at his brother a little longer before nodding and turning to leave.

Stefan stopped him, but Damon didn't turn. He kept his back facing his brother, his hands disappearing into his pockets. "I'll stop seeing Elena after this," he vowed to Stefan. "I can make her forget about me… that I ever existed in the first place." He tentatively fingered Elena's necklace in his pocket.

Stefan shook his head, even though Damon couldn't see it. "Don't compel her." He sighed, as if realizing for the first time that it was all really over and that, no matter he dislike his brother's choices and actions most times, he didn't have it in him to keep Damon from Elena, not if it was what she wanted. "It's a free world, Damon. You can go wherever you want and see whomever you want. I never stopped you before."

"Like you could."

Stefan put his hand on Damon's shoulder. "Believe me, brother, you'd be surprised about the things I'd be able to do for Elena." He removed his hand and put both of them in his pockets, mirroring his brother. "If it's what she wants, then, I won't interfere."

Damon looked back at his brother, for once allowing his emotions to reflect in his features. He was impressed by what Stefan was willing to sacrifice for Elena, although he was no longer surprised as he could now relate; he had the same feelings growing inside of him. He didn't want to shut it out, not for her, and it was what was driving him to strategically focus his anger at the elder and had kept him from simply charging and attacking him when he could. He would have used up all of his power before he could even get to her. It was out of character for him and he was feeling incredibly uncomfortable having left her in the enemy's hands.

"That's very big of you," Damon replied, trying to sound sarcastic, though he meant it. He couldn't have done the same, wouldn't have. He patted his brother on the chest and went to turn again, but once again Stefan stopped him, his hold firm and almost forceful. "But there are conditions."

"Look," Damon began, his tone only the slightest bit annoyed because he understood, but knew that they didn't have time for this conversation right now, "in case you hadn't noticed, we don't exactly have time to sit down and have a long and warm brotherly chat about Elena's heart in front of the fire, considering that if we wait too long, she might cease from actually having one that beats at a normal human rate." Damon sighed, shaking off Stefan's hold. "Honestly, I get it, brother. You're pretending to be okay with me making the moves on your ex beau, as long as the fangs don't come out to play."

He saw Stefan's eyes darken and moved back, not wanting to instigate a fight at the worst possible moment. "Too soon," Damon said to himself with a nod. He looked at Stefan. "I understand, little brother, I do. And, for the record, I didn't go after her and pull the whole seductive Dracula act… Okay, maybe at first, but… I've never tried so hard in my life to stay away from someone and not to feel." He made a face when he said that, as if he couldn't believe that he just had.

"Katherine," Stefan provided him with an instant reminder.

Damon nodded, accepting it." It was different though; she was like us and there was always this distance, no matter how close I thought I got. Elena is…" He paused briefly, his forehead taking on a frown that was characteristic of his brother. "She sees something inside of me that I don't; something I thought had died when Katherine did."

Stefan's eyes clouded over by emotions he didn't have time for and withdrew from the conversation. "We'll continue this later," he told his brother, his tone set and determined and Damon nodded, owing his brother. _He knew this._

Stefan turned to the window, his back to Damon. "You think we can pull it off?"

"Yes," Damon answered doubtlessly.

Stefan nodded. "We have to; it's Elena. For her sake, and for yours," he turned to throw his brother a meaningful look, "I hope the holy water myth holds true."

"Aren't all of Mystic Fall's myths the real deal?"

"I should go and hunt, get my strength back."

"For Elena's sake, I hope you're intending on hunting humans?" Damon raised an eyebrow in a challenging manner.

Stefan's shoulders sagged and he sighed, a hand running through his hair and Damon nodded. "Luckily for you, I have a plan… Meet me at the old cemetery as soon as you can." He turned to leave, but Stefan called him back. "Damon, where are you going?"

"Like I said, I'm going to round me up some witches. You know me, I'm all about playing fair." A gleam passed through his eyes and he even shot his brother half of his cocky grin. He went into battle mode as did Stefan as he followed his brother out.

* * *

Damon rung Sheila Bennett's doorbell with some hesitation, realizing that he was probably one of the last people she or Bonnie wanted to see on their doorstep. But it was for a good cause, one that wouldn't redeem him since he let the elder take Elena, _but there was no point in starting a battle that couldn't be won on his own._ He was recruiting soldiers for a good cause.

Sheila opened the door, giving him a quick once over before attempting to close the door on him.

"Please, Sheila. You know I wouldn't have come to you if it wasn't an emergency."

"Grams, let him in," Bonnie said, appearing behind her grandmother suddenly, like she had been eavesdropping all this time, waiting for a good enough reason to step in. "It's about Elena, isn't?" she asked Damon, pulling the door open further, ignoring her grandmother's looks. "What happened? Is it Xavier?"

Sheila's eyes narrowed in thought as she repeated the name to herself, as if searching for a light in the dark, incredibly relieved to have finally gotten to it and turned it on. Light was shed on the darkness. She gestured for Damon to come in as Bonnie said the words.

"What does Alexander want?" she asked after having closed and locked the door.

"You know him?" Bonnie asked.

Sheila shook her head. "I try not to associate myself with vampires, let alone with evil ones." She looked at Damon. "He killed one of my friends and that in itself is a great loss, but she was also a very powerful witch."

"Powerful enough to do him favors."

"It is not a favor when one is killed afterwards Mr. Salvatore."

"Damon, please. I'm not Stefan." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, let's get to the point, shall we. I'm sure Bonnie kept you informed of everything?" He eyed Bonnie quickly who nodded. "Of course," he said to himself. "Basically, Xavier wants to turn Elena—"

"In to a vampire?" Bonnie asked with wide eyes.

"In to what else? As I was saying, he wants to turn Elena in to a vampire," he emphasized, "as a way of getting back at me and Stefan for distracting Katherine and then for getting her killed. He was the jealous kind. I don't get it."

"Oh, but I believe you do." Sheila said to him.

Bonnie got in between them and shot her grandmother a look. "Grams…" She turned to Damon. "Where is she, what happened?"

Damon touched his fingertips together, pressing them against his lips. "Xavier took her. Tonight. He shot Stefan, a wooden arrow doused in vervain and he wanted to take her, so we let him, but—"

"What!" Bonnie exclaimed. "You let him take her, why—"

"Bonnie," Sheila silenced her, her eyes on Damon. "What is your plan?"

"I compelled her before he could get to her so she'll be waiting on the bridge near the old church at the cemetery."

"Holy water," Sheila said in understanding. "It should work on a vampire as old as Alexander."

Damon nodded. "But still it's merely stalling. Stefan and I won't be enough to get Elena out of this. Xavier's much older, which unfortunately means he's stronger as well and has abilities that we don't have, but you might be able to conjure up," he referred to Sheila.

Sheila nodded. "Alright, you know I'll do it, but my power won't be enough to fight him…"

"We have my power too, Grams."

Sheila shook her head. "No! You won't be involved in any of that."

"But it's Elena!"

Damon nodded. "Your grandmother is right. Vervain won't work and we can't worry about Elena _and _her witchy sidekick. How about you drive the getaway car?" he looked at Sheila who nodded.

"I need some time," Sheila told him, taking purple candles from a shelf.

"Grams, what are you doing?"

"Like I said, my power won't be enough to fight him, but our power will," she said, looking to the sky and Bonnie nodded, instantly understanding.

Damon didn't, so Bonnie explained while her grandmother cleared the table and lit the candles on them. "She's going to call on all of our female ancestors for help. Her power might not be enough, but if they temporarily transfer their powers onto her, it will."

"Friends in high places."

"Very high," Sheila added, sitting down cross legged behind the salon table and placing her arms flat against the surface, palms up.

She began to mumble incantations to herself as Bonnie and Damon looked on.

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**Please review? **Once again, thanks to everone who takes the time to read and hopefully review my story. I really appreciate them. :)


	9. Lost Girl

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the book or television series _The Vampire Diaries_** **and am merely borrowing the characters so I can have them act out what's in my head.**

**A/N: **I guess I broke my weekly updating tradition, although, to be honest, I never really followed that tradition to begin with. I write when I have the time and when the mood strikes, and, in this case, the mood did strike, but I had no time whatsoever to turn it into something cohesive and coherent. However, I cleared up some of my schedule and this chapter is the result of that. It was definitely one of the hardest chapters to write (so far) because action scenes are so not my thing (yet), but I still hope it's, at least, readable and that you enjoy some aspect of it. Thanks for everyone who took/takes the time to review and please be so kind as to do the same for this chapter.

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**Lost Girl**

"_My Romeo, he isn't the way I imagined him to be…"_

Bonnie drove her and her grandmother to the old Mystic Falls graveyard, where Elena's parents had also been buried not too long ago. A memory as fresh as the flowers Elena still left at the graves whenever she happened to think of it. Bonnie turned her car around and parked it a little beyond where the church stood, planning a swift and unhindered escape, or so she ideally thought it out to be.

Stefan and Damon were already there, appearing from between the trees like they had never been there in the first place, like the supernatural beings they were. Meanwhile Sheila and Bonnie looked like they belonged between the trees, significant within the grandeur of nature.

"Stay here," Damon instructed Bonnie, even though he already knew that it all depended on how it would all play out. Sheila began wading through the trees, stopping only when she found a spot from which she could use her powers without immediately running the risk of being discovered.

Stefan offered Bonnie a smile of encouragement and hope before following his brother out of the woods. The Salvatore brothers each approached the bridge from a different end, forming a protective barrier around Elena. Xavier stood across from them, on land, appearing to be floating as he calmly took in the scene in front of him.

Both brothers instantly let their eyes fall on the bite marks that were visible to them on both of Elena's wrists and neck. Her complexion had faded and she stood before them as white as a ghost, as if she had already passed on and had become one of them, as white as a wilted flower, almost on her way out of this world. Damon exchanged a look with Stefan, who stood a few steps removed from him and Elena, respectfully showing them that he was fully aware of their relationship and what it meant for him. He had broken the triangle, and he now realized that he had been the line in the middle, just a means to an ultimate end for the both of them, _even if it hadn't been intentional, it was inescapable. _

Elena hadn't been as rigorous as he was being, but maybe she should have been… It would have hurt less. He was the first person she looked at, seeking her savior, though now the role was assigned to Damon, a role he took on instantly and quietly so as not to strain the situation even more. Damon's hand was on the small of Elena's back almost instantly so he could carry some of her weight, making sure not to pay too much attention to the marks on her; they would only distract him and cause him to act irrationally.

"Just hang in there a little bit longer," he whispered against her hair as he pulled her close, his eyes set on the vampire across from them.

Stefan and Damon stood alert and ready to defend or attack, depending on what would happen next, _and both were willing to risk their lives for the dark haired girl caught in between the two of them._

Xavier reached inside the large coat he was wearing and pulled out an arrow of the same kind that he had wounded Stefan with before. He threw it on the floor and levitated it off the ground with his mind, aiming it at the threesome on the bridge. But, instead of flying forwards, the arrow was pulled backwards by an invisible and violent force and disappeared into the thick cover of trees behind Xavier.

Stefan and Damon both knew it was a distraction, but they couldn't afford Sheila getting hurt, so Damon disappeared after the arrow.

He caught it before it could reach Sheila, who was standing in the middle of the clearing, the wind blowing through her air and her eyes opening just as Damon intercepted the arrow. "Not to put any pressure on you or your dead ancestors, but we didn't bring you along to lurk in the woods and just stand there passively, and creepily I might add."

Sheila cocked her hip to the side, one hand on it while she held out the other to him, palm up to the sky. "Patience is not your virtue, I see."

"It's something we don't have time for. Elena doesn't have time for. Your granddaughter doesn't have time for," he added, the lines in his face rigid with an underlying anger he was constantly keeping in check. "Why don't you fill me in on what exactly you _have_ been doing?"

She didn't answer him immediately, instead she looked to the sky, her eyes closing and opening as the sky lit up with a sudden and blinding brightness. It threw Damon off, though he chose to barely react. The brightness lasted but a second and once it had faded, rain came pouring down, the teardrops glistening like crystal.

"Controlling nature takes time and more power than you can imagine."

Damon let out a chuckle, despite the severity of the situation they were in. "I hate to break it to you, but rain isn't anything but slightly annoying in a fight."

"Maybe to you, but I have a feeling that, to Alexander, it might be more of a burden." Sheila's eyes glistened like the rain.

Back on the bridge, Elena and Stefan both looked at the sky as it suddenly broke and it began to pour down on them. "Stefan?" she asked, looking at him, the rain having commenced its slow but steady process of saturating her. It made her look like an epic beauty, a damsel who purposely sought out distress so she felt all the more alive.

"Sheila," he confided to her softly. "Bonnie's here too. We couldn't do it alone."

"Bonnie," she said to herself, grateful that her best friend was so close by. "What will rain do?"

Stefan's let his eyes fall on Xavier who seemed to be cringing in constant pain, and both instantly understood. "It's holy water."

"How is that even possible?"

Stefan shook his head, but answered, "Anything is possible when it comes to the supernatural, especially when witches are concerned."

Damon appeared from the trees behind Xavier, his eyes meeting Stefan's for a split second, as it was all he had before Xavier turned to him, his skin burning where the raindrops hit.

Stefan took a hold of Elena and began pulling her closer to the edge of the bridge. "He's distracted, and that's what we wanted." For one of the first times since he and Damon had met her on the bridge he closely looked at her, having trouble to do so. "I need you to run, into those trees over there." He pointed. "Bonnie will be waiting for you."

"What about her grandmother?"

"We'll protect her, even if it cost us our lives."

"Stefan…" Elena went to touch him, but he backed away and released her. "Go, Elena, you might not get another chance."

She nodded in understanding, catching his eyes with her own one last time before running off, her feet picking up even more speed once they had left the bridge. She looked like the princess in the tower, who had finally managed to get down somehow and escape… _But the prince was there, hidden among the trees, making sure she would make it out alive. _Stefan wasn't hers anymore and she didn't belong with him anymore: her white in knight had been replaced by a prince of darkness, although she knew that she was the light in that darkness.

Stefan turned to look back at his brother, who was now in a verbal battle with Xavier. He listened more carefully.

"You don't have enough power to rustle a single leaf, boy."

"So I borrowed some powers," Damon shrugged, purposely ignoring the way Xavier referred to him. "I'm a fast learner and I knew that I had to even out the playing field, because you, mister," he gestured at Xavier, "weren't playing fair."

"Damon," Stefan chided his brother soundlessly, knowing immediately that he had given away their advantage. He tried to form a mental connection with his brother, which was something they didn't do often and was still in the early experimental stages, but there was a link, one that flickered on and off like a light bulb, but he managed to get a message through. Damon was to stall, while Stefan made sure the girls were gone by now. He swiftly relocated himself to where Bonnie had been assigned to wait, but both girls weren't in the car.

He didn't curse to himself the way Damon would've done, but instead immediately went out to find them. He found Bonnie and Elena hovered over Sheila, who was sprawled on the ground. Xavier stood close by, a satisfactory smile on his face and his hands behind his back, indicating that he had flung Sheila down with his powers. Damon lay on the ground behind Xavier, an arm clutched to his stomach and blood trickling down his face. He moaned in pain when he tried to get up and his body got slammed back down again violently, the ground cracking around him and the tree behind him shaking, covering him with leaves, something that made Xavier laugh. Elena looked at him, her eyes and hair wild in an anger that crackled like the thunder above them. She was furious and wanted to kill, but when she intended to run towards Damon, Stefan gripped her tightly and pulled her back, in a manner that was harsher that needed.

She opened her mouth, determined to fight him on this; it was Damon, but she couldn't get a word out. She was picked up and wrapped in Xavier's powers before he flung her down mercilessly beside Damon. She tasted blood and tremors throughout her entire body made her winch in pain. Damon was right there, but all he could do was look at her and hold her gaze with his own, his attempt at getting her through an impossible situation.

"Like Romeo and Juliet, dying together, how poetic. Don't you think?" Xavier looked back at Stefan, who was now holding Bonnie back.

"Get out of here," Stefan told Bonnie, keeping his eyes leveled with Xavier as he stood in front of the dark skinned girl and her grandmother.

Xavier shook his head, allowing Bonnie to help Sheila up. "They're of no interest to me. It doesn't matter to me whether they live or die, especially now that they can't help you anymore." Bonnie shot him a look, then gave Elena an apologetic one as she helped her grandmother out of the small clearing and away.

Elena scrambled up into a sitting position, biting back the pain she was experiencing and was getting worse with each additional move she attempted. Her eyes sought out Stefan's and then Damon's, but there wasn't an answer in them. There was no way out provided on a silver platter, the way it was usually handed to her due to her association with supernatural beings.

"You two don't have to put up such a fight, you know. I can tell you two are fond of her. Plus, it's annoying. And it's not like you're never going to see her again… you will, on special occasions maybe, like Christmas. We can come to Mystic Falls and visit you, if she wants to of course." Xavier held out his hand to her. "Now, come on, Elena, let's not make it any harder than it has to be. You tried, and I commend you for that, but obviously—"

He was interrupted by Stefan's body landing on top of him, causing them both to tumble to the ground. Stefan was on top of him, trying his hardest to keep Xavier flat on the ground for a few seconds, long enough for Damon to tear off a branch and put it through Xavier's heart. Of course it didn't work out that way; Xavier flung Stefan up and against, no through the bark of a tree. Damon's stake was intercepted and put into his own chest, not in his heart, but close enough to really hurt and cause severe damage.

And there was nothing that she could do.

She was going to get killed and then would be brought back as a vampire, perhaps she wouldn't have her own memories anymore, and maybe she wouldn't have the need to see Stefan anymore… or Damon. _She said his name_ as Xavier sunk his teeth into the veins on her neck and her eyes began to fill with tears until it was better to simply close them. Then, just as she had settled herself into the inevitable, Xavier's fangs cut through the skin of her neck and shoulders as they were raked away from her. She didn't scream.

Her hand went to her punctured neck and she managed to swing her body around before falling onto her knees. Xavier had been thrown into a tree… by either Stefan or Damon, but that wouldn't hold him. He was already struggling to get back up, like a bug put on its back, but tortuously a stick was put through it before it could get all the way up. Or, actually, it was a piece of branch and it flew right into his chest, going in and coming out on the other side. It was sickening and she felt like throwing up, but her muscles didn't have the energy to contract. She felt her body's weight tumbling forwards, but before she could make an attempt to catch herself, she was caught by someone else. She heard Stefan and Damon argue in the background and then a girl's high pitched scream, coming from somewhere between the trees. She dragged her eyes upwards and an arm was shoved in her face. Then, everything went red and she felt something trickle down her throat.

_She tasted blood for the second time._

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**Please Review? **So, there was a lot of text and not too much dialogue and everything seemed to be happening at the same time and really fast, but I did intend to write it that way because I wanted to add that feeling of not having enough time etc. So, yeah, hope some of that came across. Thanks again for reading and please review and stay with me!


	10. Blood Recovery

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the book or television series _The Vampire Diaries_. I am merely borrowing the characters while I have them act out whatever my imagination wants to do with them.**

**A/N: **First of all, thank you for being so patient and hanging in there! I know it's been a longer wait than usual, but hopefully it'll be worth it? I really liked writing this chapter and, I think, most questions are dealt with, although, since this isn't the last chapter, I can't guarantee that. As for the last chapter, I am aware that the writing seemed all over the place and might have been a little confusing, but that was my intention. I wanted you to wonder what was going on. Anyway, I'll stop so you can get to the chapter. Please be so kind as to review at the end? And thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story in the past. I consider it my baby, especially since it is my first story in a long while.

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**Blood Recovery**

"_There's a big black sky over my town…"_

Elena woke up in the hospital, the surroundings so sterile they seemed alien. She moved her limbs slowly, but they didn't feel like they were her own. In fact, she didn't even feel like this was really her life; it was everybody's, anybody's, whoever decided to take her life in their hands and, then, attempted to wring every droplet of blood out of it. She was at their mercy, at Stefan and Damon's mercy, and even then things tended to spiral out of her control and into theirs, and she really hated being the victim.

For the first time since she had opened her eyes, she brought herself to look over to the machine she was hooked up to. Her heartbeat was normal according to that and she let herself fall back against the pillows. Of course she was relieved and drained, but also unsettled because she didn't know what had happened exactly, and the last thing she remembered was seeing red and tasting blood.

She hadn't looked at the bite marks yet, but she felt them; her wrists and neck were throbbing and tender to the touch. She made sure her hair hung over the bandage on her neck and hid her hands beneath the covers when the door to her room opened.

Her aunt rushed over to Elena's bed and hugged her, loosening her hold when she felt Elena squirm. "Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie, I'm just so glad you're okay." She gave her a final kiss on the cheek before letting go. "You _are _okay, right?" Jenna asked while pulling a chair over to the bed. She sat down and reached for Elena's hand, which Elena kept beneath the covers despite the bandages on them.

"They're soar," she explained. "But, other than that, I'm fine, really." She even managed a smile.

"Do you remember what happened? They found you unconscious—"

"Who?" Elena interrupted, her brow furrowing in her attempt at making all of the pieces fit.

"Stefan and that brother of his, Damon. They were out in the woods, near the old cemetery, and found you there."

"I was visiting mom and dad's graves," she lied, her eyes remaining on Jenna as she continued with her story.

"According to what they told me and the police, the two of them scared off the animal that attacked you. It ran off when they approached. And thank God, I mean, it looks like it bit you plenty of times, in sensitive places as well so…" Jenna took a deep breath, trying to retain some fort of grip on the concern she felt. _Everything would be okay. _"I'm just glad they found you when they did."

This time Elena did reach out for Jenna's hand and squeezed it. "I'm okay, Jenna."

She nodded. "I know. I just don't know what I'd do without you. I love you, kid."

"Ditto."

The two of them exchanged a timid smile and Jenna squeezed Elena's hand once more before letting go. "Okay." She got up. "I'm going to sort through the stack of paperwork as quickly as I can, so we can get you out of here."

"That'd be nice."

"Who knows, I might even pick me up a cute doctor while I'm at it."

Jenna left the room and Damon came in, but Elena had no idea he was there until she turned her head back to that side of the room and saw him. A pleasant sensation shot through her body: her heart fluttered, eyes brightened, and fingers and toes tensed up because she forced her body to fight against her natural reaction to him. She didn't want to like him, not after a mere handful of hours ago, her life had been put on the line because of them… _because of him._

Unlike her, he didn't look bruised or broken, even though, when they were in the woods, he had been laying right beside her, bleeding. They had been equals then.

It was going to be hard, because with Stefan she had felt like an equal. He had put real effort in not being overbearing and in not making her feel like she was less in every way. She wasn't as strong as them, not as fast, or as immune to all of life's vulnerabilities…

Damon bowed his head in a silent greeting.

"What happened?" Elena asked, her voice fragile at its center, but already cracked at the edges. She brought her hands up, intending to reach for her neck, but they didn't get past her chest. Her throat hurt.

"What do you remember?" He watched her closely.

"Blood," she voiced. "I remember drinking blood." She remembered what had happened before that moment, but it didn't seem as significant to her as that. She tried not to look at him, but he could tell she was accusing him of crossing a barrier of some sort.

"Your heartbeat," Damon began carefully, eyeing the heart rate monitor, "it was weak, and it was fading. You would've been dead if I hadn't… you know," he finished with a callous roll of his eyes.

"But I'm still human, right?" She looked at him.

He nodded and Elena looked away again.

"You weren't killed after I fed you the blood; the threat had already been eliminated." He moved a step closer to where she was laying. "All it did was accelerate the healing process. Our blood is different from yours, it's… supersonic." His mouth twisted into a faint smile. "It should be out of your system soon enough."

"I drank your blood." She sounded like it had just fully hit her, and like she didn't believe him.

He nodded, assuming she wasn't aware of the sensuality that was usually attached to the act of exchanging blood. Of course it was usually between two vampires, but when he had held her head in place so she was forced to intake some of his blood... He shuddered, thinking about it. It was something he knew he would never allow to happen again, but he couldn't help feeling glad that he got to experience it just once. Even though she didn't get any pleasure out of it. He knew how much she hated the idea of vampirism and becoming like him. And he kept his promise; he did everything he could think of to keep his word and her human. Feeding her his blood had been the only way, and he hoped she wouldn't hold it against him for too long.

He didn't push her for anything, didn't bring up all the things that he wanted; she had had enough, for today at least.

Elena broke the awkward silence. "How is… everyone?" _She didn't mean everyone._

"Safe."

"Where's Bonnie?"

"At home. Sheila was exhausted from all the hocus pocus she pulled. Bonnie didn't want to leave her alone. They're both fine though, unharmed."

She nodded. "Good." She sunk back into the bed, though no longer comfortable. "What happened to Xavier? I mean, I was out of it by then—"

"Yeah, you were pretty out of it… but that's forgivable, considering your ex boyfriend got shot with an arrow, you were compelled by me to leave with an ancient and evil vampire, after which you got bitten by that ancient and evil vampire, more than a few times…" he ticked it all off on his fingers, a menacing hint to his tone of voice.

"I was there," Elena reminding him with as much sharpness as her energy level allowed her to put in to the comment. It wasn't fair to put all of the blame on him, because she chose to maintain her relationship with Stefan and him even after she found out what they were, but right now she had to direct her resentment and frustration at someone. It was all she could do from bursting out in tears. She had found herself in the middle of a pile of hay many times, but had pushed herself out of it with pure force, therefore taking on all of the pieces of straw at the same time, although one had to be the last one.

She turned her head and started picking at the needle in her arm. "It doesn't matter; all that matters is that he's dead… right?" She eyed him.

Damon nodded, not insensitive to the chill that had materialize between them, like a thin wall; they could see one another and make themselves heard, but it took incredible effort, so much more than it normally did. Things had always just had a natural way of progressing between them.

"So, " He put his hands behind his back and met her gaze full on, "aren't you going to ask how I'm doing?" She didn't appreciate the way he was carrying himself so cockily. There was a time and place, even for that.

"You look fine," she countered, though it wasn't the right way of wording it, though it never was; Damon almost always found a way to turn her remarks into an innuendo of some kind.

She caught the gleam that passed through his dark eyes and the chuckle he held back.

She shook her head, absolutely upset, frustrated, scared, and so many other things that she didn't have the energy or will to deal with in front of him. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction, or the power of, once again, being the stronger one in a situation.

He watched her, with slight disbelief, as she pulled the needle from her arm and kicked the covers off herself.

"Elena, I don't think that's the smartest thing to do." He began to move towards her, but she threw him a look and both of her hands up, revealing the bandages to him. He nodded and remained standing where he stood.

She got out of the bed and turned around to reach for the bag Jenna had brought with her.

Damon had to swallow a few times at the sight before him. "Nice panties. Very flattering, I might add."

Elena's mouth dropped open in shock and instant realization. In her impulsivity and haste she hadn't thought about the fact that she was wearing a hospital gown. Her hands flew over to hold together the back of her gown as she spun back around, her eyes shooting daggers at him.

He wet his lips and held back one of his infectious smiles. "It was a compliment, and a way to break this… iciness between us." He moved closer. "I have enough enemies as it is…"

She put both her hands up, as some sort of protective shield, when he reached her. Her palms brushed against his chest and her fingers instantly ached to turn the defensive stance into an affectionate one, but she balled her hands into fists instead. The wounds on her wrists throbbed.

"And I've always thought of us as more like lovers anyway." She looked up at him through her long lashes and tousled locks, her lips slightly parted as taking breaths became harder and harder. She caught a glimpse of a smile, and felt it as he tilted his head so his lips lightly came in contact with the side of her face.

"I know that psychically we haven't gone there… yet, but, technically, a part of me has been in you," he whispered against her.

"Damon, please." She braced herself against his chest. "I can't do this, not now." She went on hoarsely and with her eyes downcast. "Sometimes you forget that I _am_ only human and that I need time to recover from things. I don't bounce back as quickly as you do. And it's not that I'm not grateful, I am, but, unlike you, drinking blood isn't a turn on for me," she tried to get what was bothering her across in a light manner.

"Who said—"

Elena's gaze crashed into his, sending sparks flying. Damon nodded and told her the following, "Your blood doesn't matter; it are the other things about you that turn me on."

She didn't look away when his hands touched her hips, or when his fingers grazed her bare back. Her fingers were pulling at his shirt, wanting him as close as he could possibly be. Her breathing turned erratic and she felt him everywhere. It scared her how much of an effect he had on her. They might be wrapped up in their own little bubble of slow-motion, but everything was moving too fast. She wanted things to progress between them, but she needed him to know that she wanted things to happen on her terms. She bit her lip. Who was she kidding, she wanted things to happen now, but she wanted them to be more than a onetime thing. She needed continuity, stability, and so many other things she wasn't sure Damon could give her.

Damon sensed her inner turmoil more easily than usual due to the trace of his blood that was still in her system. "Something tells me that we have a lot to discuss." And like the gentleman he had never been known for, he was the one to step back so that they could each retreat back into their personal spaces. However, the wall between them had dissolved.

"Your aunt's on her way back." He sought out her eyes with his own. "But something tells me that we will pick this up later.

Elena nodded and they let go of each others' hands, which they had been holding all of this time, somewhat awkwardly since Damon hadn't often found himself holding a girl's hand. He winked at her and before she could blink, he fluttered out of the window in his raven form.

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**Please review? **Well, this chapter and the writing isn't perfect by far, but I am working on it and, hopefully, I'll slowly improve. Still, I hope it didn't take away from your reading experience. I mean, I have to do something while the show is on hiatus. Who knows, after this one, if inspiration strikes, I might write another. Thanks again and please comment/critique. I do learn from it.


	11. Battle Scars

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the book or television series _The Vampire Diaries_**. **I am merely borrowing the characters and allowing my imagination to do whatever it pleases.**

**A/N: **Thanks again for your patience, it is very much appreciated, as are your reviews of course. I hope this chapter will suffice, since, I have to admit that I am no longer in the crazed obsession stage for this particular series. However, I am going to try and do my best to not let you down and finish this story. Also, I have also become very interested in _Smallville _and the Clark/Lois (Clois) pairing, so I am trying my hand at that. The story is found **Like Another Night. **So, if you also have an affinity with that show and/or pairing, please check it you? Now, on with this story and pairing. :)

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**Battle Scars**

"_What if I could give you something bigger?"_

Elena wasn't released from the hospital until the next morning, after the doctor had reassured Jenna that only rest was needed for Elena to recover fully. The wounds had healed almost entirely, but Elena kept the bandages on them when she around her aunt and brother. The ironic thing was that, once she got back home, she couldn't sleep. She had gotten plenty of that while she had been lying in the hospital bed, with nothing to entertain her but her thoughts. Thoughts that had focused on last night's events and had occasionally strayed to Stefan and his inapproachability; he had only looked at her when he had no other choice, and even then he seemed to do so only to make sure that she was still alive. Despite his cold shoulder, her thoughts hadn't lingered and, instead, focused on Damon.

_He hadn't been there waiting for her,_ but she kept her window wide open as she went about her daily routine, just in case.

She had called Bonnie to make sure that she was okay, but her best friend couldn't shed too much light on who had flung the stake through Xavier's heart. It hadn't been Bonnie or Sheila, since they had been on their way out of the clearing before it all took place. Bonnie did admit to screaming, but that was her reaction to Damon giving Elena his blood to drink. She hadn't witnessed the rest.

Elena decided to take a shower, putting a temporary hold on the turmoil that rooted through her mind. She lit scented candles and turned up the radio, leaving the bathroom door open, since Jeremy wasn't around and it was only her and Jenna in the house. It was a good feeling, being by herself and doing something that was no normal but so underrated. Showering was her way of purging herself of whatever had left a bad taste in her mouth, although this morning it was quite literal as the blood had left a bad and unsettling aftertaste.

When she got out of the shower, she put on her underwear before wrapping herself in a towel. She wiped the fog from the mirror and tilted her head to the side so she could take a good look at the bite mark in her neck. She ran her fingers across it: it no longer stung and the throbbing had subdued. It was like a supernatural hickey, one that could kill if the one biting and sucking had that as their intention. _The gothic horror story she had stumbled into willingly had always been one with risks tied to the romance_, but it hadn't been as real as now, when she was the one with the bite marks. Battle wounds that would fade, but she would always know that they had been there.

She turned and headed back into her bedroom, taken aback a little, but not shocked at the sight of Damon standing near the open window. She clasped the towel tighter to her body and closed the bathroom door a little louder than usual. He smirked to himself before turning around, not as overwhelmed by her presence in the towel; he had expected it since she had been in the bathroom, off in her own little world from what he had caught of it.

"I knocked," he explained quickly, gesturing towards her bedroom door, which he had left open to a creak. "Your aunt let me in."

She threw him an incredulous look, obviously not believing him as she went to the door and stuck her head out of her room. "Jenna!"

"Yeah?" was the response from downstairs.

"Did you let Damon in the house?"

"Yep! … Why, didn't you want him in here?"

"No, I was just checking! Thanks Aunt Jenna!"

She retreated back into her room and closed the door, resting all of her weight against it for a few seconds. Just when she thought she had him pegged, he did the most unexpected thing ever. She heard him chuckle and she remembered what had happened in the hospital when she had turned her back to him. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she faced him.

They caught each others' eyes and from the twinkle in his, she knew that he just had the same flashback as her. Still, she refused to blush and held his confident stare with one of her own. She was waiting for him to start off the conversation.

"So…" He swung his arms from behind his back and clapped his hands together. "It's later."

Elena nodded, but when she didn't add anything he let out a frustrated sigh. "You're not going to make it easy on me, are you?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. She was going to say something this time, but he didn't give her the chance to when he lifted his finger, a silencing gesture. "Because, personally, I feel that I do deserve to be given some slack, considering that I saved your life." He dropped his hand. "And last time I checked, that was worth something… to your family, your friends… to Stefan…" His fixed on her intently.

She shook her head. "Damon…"

"Just tell me we'll get to that."

Elena nodded as did he. "Or nod, that's good enough." He put his hands behind his back. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "I'm alive. And these," she paused, holding up her hands and dropping her head to the side so he got a glimpse of the marks on her, "will fade."

"My blood is out of your system," he remarked.

"Good." She watched him as he sat down on the windowsill before mimicking his action and lowering herself on her bed.

"Tell me, where do you want to start?"

Elena shook the hair from her face, hand in her lap. "I want to know what happened to Xavier, who killed him?"

Damon raised one of his hands the way a student would do when asked a question in class. "That would be me."

Her eyes widened. "But, you weren't even near him. I mean, he was thrown into a tree by you or Stefan…" She waited.

"Me," he answered. "And the branch through the heart was also me. I figured he deserved a dramatic death due to his flair for the theatrical." A gratifying smile spread across his face slowly.

"But you weren't even near him. Unless you… threw it at him and had perfect aim?"

Damon chuckled at her ridiculous suggestion. "While I am talented, I'm not quite that good."

"Then how?"

He shrugged and looked away, his hands tense as they pulled at his jeans.

"Damon, how?"

"I think you'll have trouble believing me."

"I think we surpassed the disbelief factor as soon as I got into a relationship with a vampire." She was somewhat shocked at how those words left her mouth; she couldn't believe that she was talking about her and Stefan's past relationship so callously. It had meant so much to her at one point, but she was only human and had changed her mind, finding the slightly more unpredictable brother more intriguing.

_She always had_, but she never knew if he also possessed the qualities that would be needed to maintain her interest and possibly a relationship. She bit her lip as she was deep in thought and Damon didn't interrupt her, simply watching her. She was irresistible as ever to him dressed in a towel.

He noticed that she was constantly rubbing her fingers over the bite marks on her wrists, signaling once again her discomfort with the whole undead issue. Yes, she may have accepted them being like that, but she would never consider becoming like them. And that was okay: he liked the color in her cheeks, the life in her eyes, and listening to her breathing and heartbeat for an indication of how she was feeling. Little did he know that he had the same reactions to her, even though his kind reacted a little slower than was the norm.

"I don't know what happened exactly," he gently roused her from her thoughts. "…And I probably can't do it again on command, to prove it to you—"

"You don't have to prove anything to me, Damon," she interjected. "You have saved my life countable times. That's all the proof I need."

"You're going to simply take my word on it then?" He raised an eyebrow.

She nodded. "Yeah, but that also means that I am trusting you not to lie to me. So, tell me, how _did you_ kill Xavier?"

"I did what he was doing all of that time, triggered a new power."

She looked at him, question marks in her eyes.

"I can move objects with my mind, well, I was able to move that particular object with my mind. Since it's a new power, I have no clue if or how I could call upon it again," he ended on a dramatic note with his word choice.

"You'll probably be able to do it again when you realize what triggered it," Elena offered, her eyes seeking out his, a knowing glint in them.

Damon bowed his head, ran a finger over his bottom lip, and smiled. "Perhaps, but that's a worry for tomorrow, or whenever we get attacked by again by some vampire who holds a grudge against me. It happens more than you know."

"It's amazing how you ever managed to love someone else, to love Katherine, when you're already so full of yourself."

Elena lowered her head, a smile playing on her hips, giving him the confidence to get up from where he was sitting and move closer to the bed. "I'm very capable of love, if my brother is, then why is it so absurd to think that I can be devoted to someone?"

She frowned. "A human someone?"

Damon licked his lips with a nod in her direction. "True, that has been a rare occurrence with me, but sometime has to be the first time right?"

"I don't know if I can… if I can trust you with something other than my life," she admitted to him, still looking at her hands.

"He's on your mind, isn't he?" He sat down next to her, their knees touching as he attempted to give her a sign of affection that wasn't sexual.

She shook her head in denial and he chuckled. "It's okay; it's not the first time I've been in competition with my brother, believe it or not."

Elena bit her lip and caught the resentment as it altered his features for a second or two. "You're not in competition. I refuse to be like Katherine, indecisive." She shook her head again. "Us breaking up was a long time coming, maybe even inevitable." She clasped her hands together in her lap. "I'm mortal and he, you're, immortal."

"You're skipping a few chapters, aren't you? Talking about forever when you haven't even lived in the moment. I know my brother's heavy hearted like that, but I don't live in a storybook and am very aware of the reality of the situation."

"So why even bother?" she asked.

"Because you're young and you're allowed to live in the moment." He shrugged. "Why cross that bridge now when it's still being built?"

That made Elena smile and bump her knee against his. "You really do have the wisdom of the ages, huh?"

"Among other things."

Elena blushed, very aware of the fact that she was still in her towel and of the sensation that was burning her underneath that and her underwear.

"Need another shower, do we?"

She looked at him, amazed and highly embarrassed at the same time.

"Heightened senses," he answered before she could ask it.

She looked away, the flush spreading throughout her face and neck. "You know, you don't have to go out of your way to make me uncomfortable."

"I like to see you squirm," he admitted. "Women of my kind don't tend to squirm, drinking blood and killing people kind of kills that instinct, I guess."

Elena made a face. "So much for that moment," she mumbled to herself, though he heard.

She went to get up from the bed, but his hand was around her elbow in a flash. "Take off the towel and I'll give you one hell of a moment." He pulled her back onto the bed, the towel unraveling in the process, though he knew she would have underwear on underneath. He pulled her legs onto his lap, one hand moving up her leg while the other still held her by the arm.

"Damon—"

"Shhh," he silenced her. "I know you don't think that I posses certain qualities…" He moved his hand from her leg to her arm and trailed his fingers upwards. "But I _do_ posses others, ones that will definitely compensate for what I might or might not lack."

"I don't want you to change," she told him, shivering beneath his touch.

He grinned. "Good." His fingers now brushed intimately against her shoulder. "Because I wasn't planning on reliving my high school years."

"Damon," she said his name, her hands against his chest as she leaned back ever so slightly, hoping to get his undivided attention before he was too far gone to listen to her. He rolled his eyes and his hands remained static. "Fine, go and ruin the moment…" He dropped his hand onto her thigh and winked at her. She held back a smile. "What is it that you want, Elena?"

She shook the loose strands from her face and lifted her head. "A say. I want a say in certain aspects of your life." She looked away, doubtful at her own demands; he wouldn't go for it. "I want respect, for my life and for those of my friends and family. A promise that you won't put Stefan through hell because he's been good to me, and we're the ones that hurt him." She met his eyes. "And I want a guarantee that you will be there and that this isn't one of your obsessions. You know, once the newness disappears—"

"You want a lot of things, don't you?" he cut her off and chuckled.

She shot him a look, one that revealed to him how fearful she was of getting hurt. "I know it's hard for you to believe, but I do remember how to be a gentleman and what the proper steps are for courting a woman." He pushed her legs off his lap and got up.

"Courting?" she repeated, settling her feet back on the floor.

He ignored her amusement. "I'm really the romantic at heart."

Elena bit back a smile and pointed out, "Damon, you have me in my underwear, and the power of compulsion," she added as somewhat of a joke and as a reminder that her necklace was still in the bathroom.

His expression instantly changed, reflecting the thoughtlessness and harshness of her words. She got up from the bed quickly. "Damon I—"

He stopped her, though her remorse and compassion radiated. For some reason people always thought that they could treat him differently than his brother, assuming that he could take more and wasn't as sensitive to hurtful remarks. And normally he wasn't, though it all depended on who was hitting him below the belt. And since he didn't allow a lot of people into his life, she should have known that her words would have an effect. "No, you make a good point; vampires and romantic notions shouldn't go together—"

"I didn't—"

"And I suppose I have lost some of my edge," he cut her off again. He revealed his fangs to her and she stopped approaching him. Instead, she reached for the towel and wrapped it around her tightly. "I don't know why you're doing this, but—"

"It's my nature, Elena," he answered, an evil smile in place.

She nodded and retreated back into her stone tower, uncomfortable at how easily he had fallen back into his old routine. "Can you go? I've had my dose of threats, more than I can swallow actually."

He nodded, already regretting his outburst and his inability to understand where she was coming from. It had been a while since he had been human, or had been close to a human. He headed for the door, but she beat him to it. "I don't… Could you take the window instead?" She felt incredibly bad as she asked that of him and he acknowledged that she didn't trust him to pass her aunt and leave her unharmed in his anger. He clicked his tongue a couple of times. "I save your life and this is the 'thank you' I get? It's making me rethink my decision, Elena," he chided her in singsong voice.

It hit her hard, knocked the wind out of her, the way her words had done to him. Yet, both were too stubborn to admit that they hadn't meant their words and wanted to take them back, but instead they let the moment pass right in front of them. He flew out the window in his raven form and she went to get dressed, though she didn't touch the vervain necklace.

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**Please review? **So... what did you think? I think it was a pretty decent chapter, although I could always do better, of course. I know that the lack of "action" might have disappointed some, but I thought that having them get their mack on so soon after Elena and Stefan's break-up would be incredibly insensitive and out of character, to their characters and how I chose to portray them in my story anyway. But it will happen in time, I promise. Please, review, and if you have enough time on your hands, check out my first attempt at writing a Clark/Lois story. The story can be found on my profile page. Thanks for reading!


	12. Sugar & Spice

**Disclaimer: I don't own the book or television series _The Vampire Diaries_. I am only borrowing the characters so they can act out whatever comes to mind.**

**A/N: **I know it's been weeks since I updated this story, and I apologize for that! It never slipped my mind, but, for a while there, I lost some of my fanaticism for this particular show. Fortunately, some of that enthusiasm has returned, although it has to be shared with one of my other more recent obsessions: Smallville. So that is why I urge and plead you to go and read some of my Smallville stuff (either my one parter or story) if you are also interested in that. I thank you! But that is not the primary focus here, this story is! I hope you like this chapter, it's on the lighter side, since the doom and gloom has evaporated from the storyline, but I think that's exactly what the story needs after all the hustle and tussle. I am a little sad to anounce that after this, there will be only one or two more chapters, and then this story will be finito, but, on the other hand, it will give me the opportunity to perhaps embark on a new one...? Enjoy! And thanks so much for hanging in there and being your loyal selves, it is very much appreciated.

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**Sugar & Spice**

"_Because I really need somebody, so tell me are you that somebody?"_

Elena put the vervain necklace back on; she couldn't risk being caught not wearing it when she knew so much.

She went back to school the next day, the marks having faded, though the memory would be fresh for days to come. She was glad to see Bonnie waiting for her in front of the school. Her fellow students didn't exist for the time being; it was like they were two (kindred) spirits, having shared a similar experience and were automatically drawn to one another.

Caroline was the only exception the two girls made. She was proving to be more sympathetic than usual and joined them for lunch, seeming genuinely concerned and interested in their story: the faux animal attack. She briefly brought up Stefan's noticeable absence, but while Elena had allowed herself to linger in his nonattendance, she was more disappointed with Damon non-presence. Normally he was like a ghost himself, haunting the spaces that were filled with human life.

Elena regretted the remarks she had made last night and, if she had known the consequences, she would have held back. There was a grain of truth to it: she didn't fully trust him, not yet, but it had been harsh and unfair when considering that he had been almost unnaturally kind to her, caring even. Yet, she remained stubborn as ever and didn't want to be the one to go to him, despite the fact that she knew it was highly unlikely he would come to her. When you had forever, grudges were a lot easier to hold on to.

She went for coffee with Bonnie and Caroline after school, finding herself gratefully clinging to the normalcy acts like these provided her. Afterwards, she hugged both of her friends, Bonnie a little tighter than Caroline, and went homebound.

"I'm home!" Elena yelled, letting the door fall shut behind her. She heard her aunt in the kitchen. "Hey, Jenna."

"Hey, sweetie, how was school?" Jenna threw her a concerned glance and Elena shrugged. "Normal. I went for coffee with Bonnie and Caroline."

"Yeah, how was that?"

Elena dropped her bag on the floor. "It was good; it's been a while since all three of us hung out. It was nice." She sat down on one of the barstools and her eyes fell on a large box on the dining table. "What's that?"

Jenna shrugged. "Beats me. I found it on the doorstep when I came back. It's for you."

Elena frowned as she slipped of the chair. "How do you know?"

"Well…" Jenna began while turning around and searching for something on the counter, "because this came with it." She turned and handed Elena a blood-red, nearly black rose, a piece of paper curled around its stem. Jenna rolled her eyes and Elena shot her a look as she unrolled the piece of paper. All it said was: _To Elena—Damon_.

"I'm guessing by this grand—by whatever gesture this is" she rephrased, "that you and Stefan are officially over?"

Elena nodded, slightly uncomfortable. "We… Things just weren't right between us anymore, they didn't feel the way they should… Does that make sense?"

Jenna nodded. "It does. If there's one thing I've learned from my dating escapades, it's that you always listen to your gut because it's usually right." She leaned over and briefly touched Elena's hand. "But are you sure Damon is the way to go? I mean, after Stefan he—"

"Jenna."

Jenna held up her hands. "Okay, you're right; it's your decision to make." She nodded at the box. "Aren't you curious to what's in there?"

Elena bit her lip and followed her aunt's gaze over to the package. She couldn't believe it was from Damon. What could possibly be in there? She wanted to find out, _something was always better than nothing. _A sign was always better than complete silence.

She went over to the box and began removing the tape, fortunately for her, Jenna left her alone to find out the box's contents. Once, the tape had been removed, she laid down the rose on the table, and opened the box. Puzzled, she looked down at its content: they were just books. The covers told her nothing, besides that some were obviously older than others. She rummaged through the books, discovering that there were at least a dozen in there. Determined to find out more, she sat down at the dining table and began opening and skimming through each of the books. Upon a closer inspection, she came to realize that all of the books in front of her featured vampires or stories and poems about the supposed mythical creature.

It was an ironic joke; _he _was a vampire who collected anything that featured himself. She couldn't believe that so much had been written about them. The books were definitely used as well, she could tell from the notes in the margins and the many underlined sentences, all his doing.

_Even though my original ancestor is of the Byronic hero type, I could always relate more to Dracula._

Elena smiled at the note she found at the bottom of the box and couldn't help but agree. He was definitely more the predator kind of vampire than the romantic kind. But then, didn't danger have its appeal? Not the doom and gloom kind, but it were the obscurity and uncertainty that drew her in, had from the first time she had laid eyes on him. _There was a darkness to him, just like there was a radiance to her,_ and they fed off of each other. And whether his darkness would taint her, or her radiance would affect him, they would just have to wait and see.

But for now, she was interested to say the least and this gesture said something, it was an effort, and it was a glimpse into his life that he had kept behind closed doors. A life that was personal and included more than the drinking of human blood, in a matter of speaking. She glanced at the variety of vampire literature in front of her. It showed that he had a sense of humor, a good insight of where he supposedly came from and what he was supposed to be like, an image he mostly lived up to. He obviously took pleasure in reading and pondered the words he had. She ran her fingers over one of the covers, reaching for the rose with her other hand. It was an odd gesture, but one she appreciated. _It was romance with a touch of gothic horror_ and absolutely appropriate and perfect for the infatuation she had with a particular dark and handsome vampire.

She piled up the books, putting the rose on top of them as she got up and went up to her room. She spent her time flipping through the books, not knowing where to begin and what to believe and what was truly a mere myth. She read until dinner and afterwards, with Jenna's permission, she went out, driving over to the Salvatore house. She ran up the steps and rang the bell, the books back in her room, but the rose she had brought with her.

It was a shock when Stefan opened the door, simply because it had completely slipped her mind that there would be a big chance he would be home. She quickly dropped the hand that held the rose and hid it behind her back, a soft and kind, but apologetic smile in place.

"Hi," she said awkwardly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes flitting everywhere.

He greeted her with a nod, opening the door a little more so as to show that he didn't want her to feel unwelcome.

"I… uhm… I actually came for Damon," she managed to voice her purpose.

Stefan nodded again, opening the door fully at her words. "Of course. Come in."

"Thanks."

He stepped aside to let her in. "Damon's out, hunting…" He saw her eyes widen in horror and chuckled softly. He pocketed his hands and shook his head. "Don't worry; he's been on a strict animal diet. For a while now, ever since you voiced your concern at it actually."

Elena fought back a smile and nodded. "Good; biting people for blood is a no-no. Actually, just biting people in general is something I'm not the biggest of fans of."

Stefan sensed her tenseness and nervousness and had already caught a glimpse of the flower she was trying to keep from him. It hurt, but he also cared about her and was a grown man, so much older than her and had been through so many heartbreaks and relationships, he wanted for her to be with whomever _she_ wanted to be with. He had his reservations about it being his brother, but he knew that Damon could be as good as he could be bad. It was all about the influences in his life.

"Nice rose," Stefan unveiled the secret she had attempted to keep. "From my brother I assume? Ever the charmer."

Elena looked at the rose, a weight lifted. She didn't want to hide things from her ex; she already had so much to hide from her loved ones. "He had something to make up for… but I guess he always does, doesn't he?" She bit her lip for a second before finally looking at Stefan. "I am sorry, you know. I didn't plan this and I wish I could have felt the way I did for you forever. It was a good feeling."

"Do you feel the same for him?"

Elena shook her head. "Of course I feel differently; you two are completely different… people." She smiled affectionately at the memories. "It was, I don't know, it felt real with you." Her hands lifted to her heart before thrusting outwards in his direction to emphasize her point. "I mean, you were my first ever vampire boyfriend," she joked good-naturedly. "How am I supposed to ever forget that?" She smiled again, her hands pressing the rose to her chest. "But with Damon, it's surreal and… exciting," she searched for the words. "Whereas with you it was more magical—"

"Guess excitement trumps magic in most cases, eventually anyway." He said it almost wistfully, like he wanted it to be less of a truth. Yes, he was willing to let go of her, but it always took more time to come to terms with decisions, compared to the short time it took to make them.

"Stefan," Elena said his name. "I believe that no relationship is better or worse than any other; each one has its breaking points and good days. It's just a matter of whether the everyday pursuit of the good days is worth it, worth more than the next experience that lies waiting… It was our time. Things didn't work as well as they did before, and I take all of the blame for that, but I am also positive that you will move on and find someone who's willing to do that with you."

"Yeah, well fortunately I have time on my hand."

They exchanged a careful smile. "Thank you," she told him. "And if you want me to leave, I will completely understand. Damon will find me."

Stefan nodded. "He has always had a knack for that." He leaned back against the front door. "Just be careful, he's my brother and I know what he's like, good and bad."

Elena nodded, taking in his words and tugged at her necklace. "I'll keep this close."

"You can wait here, or in his room." He nodded towards the stairs. "You know where it is."

She nodded and twirled around, disappearing up the stairs as he went into the living room, like a divorced couple who had divided their assets, or spaces in this case.

She entered Damon's room, after standing at the threshold for a few seconds. She had been in here before, but not alone and not when she was anything more than a friend. She took a good look around the place, taking in everything that was in it: the large bed, the many bookcases, the art on the wall, the old fashioned records. He really did come from another era, in which reading was something you didn't do on an e-reader, art was something to have on display on the walls instead of on your desktop, and music was about the cracks and the skips. Yet, prince of irony that he appeared to be, there was a top of the line laptop and she found his I-pod strewn on the bed.

She placed the rose on the bedside table and picked up his I-pod. She put on the headphones and turned it on, putting it on shuffle. She held the gadget in her hand as she rummaged through his collection of books, running her fingers across the spines as she read the titles. She smiled at the empty slots where the books he had sent to her were supposed to go. She noted that it meant that they were on loan and that it was something they shared. She finally chose a book and went to sit down on the bed, since there were no chairs of any kind in the room. The music played in the background as she began to read.

Damon found Elena on his bed, only the headphones had slipped down around her neck and the book had fallen on the floor. She herself lay on her side, knees pulled up, one hand beneath her head and the other tucked close to her body. Her eyes were closed and her heartbeat steady.

Damon stood in the doorframe, taking it in that she was lying on his bed, willingly and looking at peace with it all. He closed the door and crept over to his bed, making himself comfortable, one hand behind his head while the other snatched the I-pod and turned off the music. It was the sudden cut off of the background lull that caused her to wake up, her eyes opening and her body tensing momentarily, though she quickly remembered where she was and relaxed.

"So, do you approve of my music taste?"

He looked at her and she met his gaze carefully, searching for so much as a hint of animosity, but there was none. They were comfortable being like this, close enough to touch, but respecting each others' space for the time being. She didn't answer his question because she didn't know; she hadn't really listened to it when she had been reading and then she had fallen asleep.

"I see you decided to wear your necklace," he continued, momentarily grazing his fingers against the pendant and Elena looked down at it.

"You're not the only vampire I've come across," she explained. "And from my experience, most are hostile—"

Damon nodded. "Good thinking. Stefan may not look like it, but he can be a real jackass."

His eyes shone amusingly as she rolled hers. "Did he let you in?" Damon inquired, curious.

Elena nodded. "Yeah, and we talked… briefly. He seems at peace with my decision; he wants both of us to be happy, and me to be… cautious around you."

"Sounds like solid advice."

Damon looked away, staring up at the ceiling and she looked at him, observing the sudden shift in his behavior. He was aware of how opposite he was to Stefan and the possible threat he could be. He was silent because he couldn't disagree with his brother's warning and it only made her want this, want him even more.

"Can I stay here tonight?" she asked, surprising him, even though he attempted to act like he had expected it. _He didn't._

He opened his mouth, intending to ask her if she was sure, but instead he licked his lips and nodded.

She took the I-pod from him, switched the music back on, and instinctively curled her body towards his. Warm met cold and he snaked his arm around her as she laid her head on his chest, comfortable. Damon picked up a book he had been reading, trying to focus on the words in silence, although all he could think about were her fingers as they tapped against his chest to the beat of the music.

"Do you sleep?"

Damon shrugged. "It's a habit I've never really managed to pick up… but I might have to rethink that."

Elena smiled against him and her hand slipped beneath his shirt so she could place it on his heart. "I'm guessing you no longer regret saving my life?"

"I never did."

She could swear that his heart skipped a beat, but she couldn't be sure. "I don't want to be an adversary, Damon; I want to be an ally, possibly even more."

He smiled and waited, knowing she wasn't done yet. "And I want it to be real and not something you fleetingly want for the sake of some vendetta against Stefan."

"Like you so class-_lessly _pointed out yesterday, I would've compelled you and slept with you by now if that was _all_ I wanted from you."

Elena hit him on the chest, lightly offended and intending to get up from the bed, but Damon sensed her action before she could complete it. He rose up into a sitting position, throwing the arm that had been behind his head across her lap. He pushed his weight forwards and pushed her body back against the bed, lowering his own on top of hers.

"You know, you really need to stop taking things as a personal attack when they were just meant as a form of humor." His hands were placed next to her shoulders as he kept most of his weight off her. "I think someone still has trust issues."

"How is it that you trust me with your life," he began, his fingers brushing against the faint scar on her neck, "but not with your heart." His fingers trailed downwards, towards her heart. "Because, I'll tell you a little secret, Elena," he bent down and whispered her name in her ear. "You have nothing to worry about. You, of all people, should know how deeply I am able to care about… someone."

She looked at him for a second or two before wrapping her arms around him, pulling his body against hers. _They breathed each other in._

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**Please review? **I am extremely grateful to all of you readers and reviewers because without you I would not have went on with this story during my temporary lapse of excitement. But I have rediscovered some, if not most of it and am proud of this story. It has given me another chance to practice and improve my writing skills and has provided me with a creative outlet. I really do love working on this story and watching it progress. Please be so kind as to give me some feedback, good or bad, it's all welcome as long as it's constructive.


	13. Rediscovery

**Disclaimer: I don't own the book or television series _The Vampire Diaries_. All I own is my imagination.**

**A/N: **There was a lapse of time between my last update and this one, which can be explained by the fact that I am trying to find a job. I am done with college, though it's not official yet since I'm waiting on the paperwork to go through, a.k.a. my actual degrees, but I have already decided to dip my toe into the job search. Let me tell you, it is a very daunting process for me-although I am one of those people that can give myself a headache by stressing over little thngs-because I have no actual work experience and, therefore, am scared that I won't find a job... ever. Bordering on the ridiculous, I'm aware, so I'm just going to keep at it and stay positive about the whole experience. :) So, thanks for your patience and loyalty if you're followers of this story and read on.

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**Rediscovery**

"_Don't walk away; there's too much at stake."_

Elena awoke with a start, eyes fluttering open and a single breath escaping rapidly and feverously as she shot up in bed. She ran one hand through her hair and let the other one drop onto Damon's side of the bed. He was no longer where she had last seen him, _but exactly where she needed and wanted him._ She had a bad dream, it was the psychological fabrication of the fear she still carried with her, closer now that her humanity ran a much larger risk of being compromised.

The nightmare could start several different days, but always took a turn for the worse and ended with her in the middle of a forest, on the ground as blood was trickled down her throat. Afterwards, before she could get a good look at the other person and recognize them, she would be killed. She had yet to witness her own resurrection, since she always woke up with a start as soon as her neck was snapped. It was something she preferred to not even dream about, but she _was_,because it could be a possible indication of her future.

She didn't know if Damon was worth it, which wasn't fair because he had been doing nothing but proving himself to her, so much even that she now felt confident her human life would be safe with him. Doubtlessly, so would her immortal one, but somewhere she was afraid that she would need him too much if she were to become a vampire. She would be forced to depend heavily on him if she wanted to get through the first few weeks; she intended to live an as humane vampire life as she could. A permanent diet of animal blood it would be. She wondered if that decision would be as easy to come to terms with when morals and valued would come second to her constant blood thirst?

She shook her head, pushing the thought to the back of her mind for now. For the time being, she would focus on locating Damon. "Damon," she called out his name softly as her legs dropped off the bed, floating an inch or so above the floor for a few silent seconds before they came into full contact with the cold floorboards.

Just as she settled her feet, a raven flew in through the open window and landed on the window sill. A smile lightened the load on her heart as she watched Damon change back into his human self in the blink of an eye. He looked dangerously irresistible in his dark jeans, fitted tee, and black leather jacket. His hair was a mess and his smirk bordering on devilish, the polar opposite of any guy she had ever dated, but none of them had had the ability to make her heart beat so erratically. It was pounding against her chest, loud enough for him to pick up with his supernatural hearing; her body was seeking for an outlet for her frenzied feelings.

She didn't get up as she asked him, "Where've you been?"

"Hunting," he told her, shrugging off his jacket. "Animal blood isn't as satisfying or sustaining as human blood, so I need more of it to keep me from climbing the walls." He hung the jacket over the back of a chair and turned, his eyes lowered as he shared the following, "I also need to feed more regularly if I want to stay strong, well, as strong as I possibly can be feeding off of animal blood." He was aware of how it sounded like he was trying to prove a point to her and reverse the decision that he had made based on her personal preference. More so it was him seeing the bigger picture, the picture in which his supernatural abilities wouldn't be as effective as they were when drinking human blood. "Look," he began, brushing his thumb across his bottom lip and raising his eyes so he could look into hers, "the reality of the situation is that I can't protect you as well from… other predators when I'm limited to animal blood. I can't guarantee your safety, nor can I guarantee Stefan's… I mean, sure he can hold his own in a fight, but I was always the secret weapon that sealed the deal." A wistful smile revealed all she needed to know.

She nodded. "Okay." She had already realized that changing Damon's lifestyle wouldn't end up working. "So go back to drinking human blood, the blood bank kind," she added as an afterthought and he simply shrugged his shoulders. "The thrill of the kill isn't what it used to be anyway; Stefan's speeches about morality took the fun out of that."

"He's such a killjoy," Elena remarked sarcastically and with a roll of her eyes, though she couldn't help but match her smile to Damon's.

His trademark mischief illuminated his eyes. "Plus, there are other ways to satisfy my predatory instincts."

She shook her head and looked away while keeping her head down and eyes on the floor. He watched her cheeks color crimson and her long lashes flutter in silent excitement. He didn't hide his contentment at the effects he aroused, but remained in place, leaning against the window sill so as to keep her discomfort to a minimum, for now anyway. "What's with the sudden change of heart?"

Elena drew her feet together and turned them inwards so her toes were almost touching. "You're not the only vampire I've run into," she verbalized to him, conscious of how absurd those words would have sounded to her less than a year ago. "It's selfish really." She raised her head to look at him again. "I don't have the same added advantages as you; I'm human, but with you in my corner… at least I'm on an equal footing."

"So… basically what you're saying is that you _need _me… to protect you."

She nodded in agreement. "To protect me."

"To protect you," he repeated.

_And die for her if needed_ was something that crossed both their minds simultaneously, and what she was trying to figure out was, if he thought she was worth saving and dying for, then wasn't he as well? _There was something morbidly romantic about the notion._

"It's how you stay among the living, where I'd like you to stay," she softly confessed to him, their eyes meeting intimately.

"What about you?"

The topic up for discussion was a serious one, but their positioning—him leaning against the windowsill and her still seated on the bed—kept it informal and calm.

She didn't instantly dismiss his question, the way she had before, because she knew that if she were realistic, she at least had to consider the option. _What if this did last?_ Her composure maintained its wholeness and serenity as she responded, "Let's see if we can survive this first and experience what it's like to be together… without the thought of death. Or the negative aspect of it anyway," she quickly included.

"Hey," Damon said, "you don't have to sugarcoat death for me. I'm too deep into it for that; you just make the best out of it." He paused to lick his lips before he continued on, "Especially since my reason for dying and resurrecting has dissolved into a pile of ashes." He held her gaze. "Ironically enough, I've now found my reason for living."

His words touched her more deeply than any of his words had ever managed to. She didn't make a big deal out of it because she didn't want him to pull back and retreat into his shell, hardened over the many years due to disappointments and heartaches. She did get up, eyeing the small alarm clock on his bedside table. It had gone only just past midnight. "I know you don't usually sleep, but you want to give it a try?"

"What the hell," was his response as he pushed himself from the windowsill and headed for the opposite side of the bed. He kicked off his shoes and gave her attire an onceover, her back still turned to him. "You want something more comfortable to sleep in?"

Elena shook her head and bit her lip as she began undressing slowly and somewhat unsurely. Her jeans she shrugged off first, as gracefully as she could, and then her camisole followed, leaving her standing in her matching light pink bra and panties. She felt incredibly vulnerable, but she wanted to be comfortable like this in front of him: practically naked and _bearing all _of her skin.

Damon had only managed to get to his shoes and was just looking at her, awestruck at the flawless olive strips of skin, soft flowing lines, rosy cheeks and pouty lips, and her hair falling down in an unruly manner. She was pure beauty.

She bit her lip again and smiled, her eyes downcast and the color in her cheeks deepening. "Stop looking at me like you've never seen a girl naked before."

"Technically you're not naked, but in a state of undress."

She turned her feet inwards, a self-protective measure, but put one hand on her hip as confidently as she could, a cute gesture. "Are you going to take off more?" She blew a strand of hair out of her face and locked eyes with him. "It's only fair, and I'd feel more comfortable if I wasn't the only one in a state of undress."

"Well, you better buy me a lamp and call me a genie because my wish is your command. But I can think of a better place to rub me than the lamp," he finished seductively before continuing to undress himself. He took off his shirt and started to undo his belt while she watched him shyly, but closely.

"Oh," he began, unzipping his jeans and sliding his fingers in between the waistband," I think I forgot to mention this, but I tend to go commando."

Elena's lips slightly parted in shock while her eyes flickered up to his, trying to figure out if this was just him pushing her buttons. But before she could ask, he dropped his pants and she got a full and uncensored view of his most private parts. She turned her head, not knowing where to rest her eyes or what to say, though, fortunately, Damon simply slid beneath the covers.

"Are you going to take off more?" he asked, his tone of voice teasing. _He didn't expect her to take off any more._ Realizing this, Elena decided to be bold and fearless, although it all cumulated into something sexy in Damon's eyes as she unhooked her bra and slipped out of her underwear. She was quick to dive beneath the covers, but he had gotten more than a good look at her in all of her glory, and it didn't disappoint.

They remained laying there in silence for a few seconds.

"Now you're naked," Damon told her, drawing the attention to where she'd rather not want it out of embarrassment. He looked over at her and caught her eyes with his. "I might need something to wear me out before I can even consider going to sleep." Elena laughed and he rolled onto his side. "What can I say, I'm a night person."

She turned her head a little more to look at him, her lips now aligned perfectly with his. He leaned in some more, his lips hovering over hers like a bird that was ready to go in for the kill, though he didn't. Instead, he waited until she came to him, which she did. Their lips met lightly at first, though they eventually crashed together as their bodies did. He maneuvered himself on top of her, one leg in between hers so he wouldn't be too tempted to lose complete control, not without her permission.

Skin was pressed on skin while their hands experimented in different directions. He had one on the side of the face while the fingers of the other were tracing the lines of her body, stopping to apply pressure every now and then to see what kind of reaction he would get from her. Meanwhile, one of her hands was lost in his locks and the other was on the dip just above his backside.

She moaned as he temporarily broke their kiss and dipped his head to trail kisses elsewhere. Both of her hands now flew to his back as she urged him on. "Damon," she said his name, her eyes closed and words laced with lust. She felt him smile against her stomach and she opened her eyes again, looking down at him. "What?"

Damon chuckled as he brought his head back up. "You know that I'd love nothing more but to have sex with you, but seeing as how I'm not the most responsible vampire, I don't have any condoms… And I personally don't want any vampire spawn running around and making the world a not so better place. Is there any chance you brought—"

Elena shook her head, obviously sexually frustrated. "Damon," she whined.

He silenced her by kissing her neck, feeling her fingers delve into his hair again. "I could go into Stefan's room…" He stopped to look at her as she went over what he just said.

Finally, she nodded and began to push him off her. "Do it."

"Like I said, your wish is my command." He placed a kiss on her stomach and got out of bed and left the room. When he came back, he crawled back under the covers, settling on top of her. _What followed was their first time._

Afterwards she fell asleep, as did he.

* * *

**Please review? **Well? To be honest, the writing experience isn't as satisfactory any more because loose ends are pretty much tied up and I feel like I'm dragging this story along when it's no longer necessary, so one of the next chapter will be its last. I can start a new story then, maybe, or write some one parters because I still very much love this pairing and am excited for the show to start again. Thanks for reading and please review and reassure me on the job search thing if you're feeling particularly kind. :)


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